Royal Palms State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Royal Palms State Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty grim outlook for the foreseeable future. This spot is a sheltered reef and point that’s inconsistent at the best of times, and for the first week and a half you’ll be doing more staring at flat water than surfing. We’ve got a long stretch of weak, mostly cross-onshore wind and poor surf conditions. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you’re sitting there waiting.

The first real chance of anything surfable pops up on Wednesday 22nd July morning. We’ve got a tiny 2ft SSW swell, but the key thing here is the wind goes glassy. That’s a major positive. The combined energy is weak (230), so don’t expect any power. Still, if you’re an absolute beginner with a foamie, a glassy 2ft wave might be the most fun you’ll have in this entire run.

The energy picks up a bit heading into the weekend of Saturday 25th July, with a 2ft SSW swell bringing combined energy up to 528 on Saturday morning. The wind is light cross-onshore though, so it’s still marginal. The period is a very long 21 seconds, which is pure groundswell. That long period will make the waves better shaped but it might break a bit too straight for a beach setup; since this is a reef and point, it could actually be a plus. It’s still only a marginal option.

Things get a little more interesting around Thursday 30th July and Friday 31st July. The swell starts to build, hitting 3ft on Thursday and 4ft on Friday morning from the SSE and S. The combined energy on Friday morning hits 975, which is moderate to strong, and the period is 16 seconds. The issue is the wind is onshore, so it’s messy. Friday afternoon sees the swell jump to 5ft and the combined energy goes to 1178, but that’s accompanied by a 12 mph cross-onshore wind, making it choppy and poor. That swell is too big for beginners but not really powerful enough for experts.

The standout window, if you can call it that, is Saturday morning 1st August. The swell is a solid 5ft from the S, with a period of 13 seconds and combined energy of 704. The wind is a light cross-onshore at 6 mph. It’s the most size you’ll see, but it’s still a marginal call due to the wind direction. The crowds here are noted as “sometimes,” so on a Saturday with a bit of swell, expect company.

After that, it drops off quickly into the second week with tiny, weak swell and no quality.

So, the best on offer? It’s a toss-up between the glassy, tiny waves on Wednesday 22nd July morning for the cleanest conditions, and the biggest, more powerful (but wind-affected) swell on Saturday 1st August morning. The glassy morning is the only truly clean option, but the Saturday has the size. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off.

Rusty.

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