Royal Palms State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna level with you straight up—this is a tough one for the home region. We’ve got a 16-day window in front of us, and for the first week, it’s basically a desert. There’s no surf worth paddling out for. The first real hint of anything shows up on Saturday, July 18th, so that’s a solid week with nothing to report. It’s a dry spell, and it’s not unusual for this area when the stars don’t align.

The only break on the radar is Royal Palms State Beach—a sheltered reef and point setup that’s inconsistent and best for beginners. The water temp is sitting around 69°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit.

From Saturday, July 18th, things start to flicker. Early morning on the 18th sees a small pulse of 2ft swell from the SSE with a 19-second period—that’s a very long period groundswell. The combined energy kicks up to 472 (moderate), and with a light offshore wind from the SW, it’ll be clean. But the catch is the break is inconsistent and rarely lines up, so you’re gambling on a few runners. The long period means those waves will have good shape but long waits between sets, and at a reef and point, it’ll wrap in nicely. The afternoon on the same day gets a bit bigger at 3ft, but the wind swings cross-onshore and it gets messy.

Sunday, July 19th, morning offers a similar story—2ft from SW, 17-second period, offshore wind again, and moderate energy (480). It’s the same deal: clean but inconsistent. If you’re a beginner, these small, clean waves are perfect, but don’t expect a full session.

The best on offer across the whole 16 days? It’s a toss-up between the mornings of July 18th and 19th. They’re the standouts simply because the wind is offshore and the swell is long-period. The Saturday morning (July 18th) gets the nod for the slightly bigger SSE swell direction that matches the optimum SW direction for the break, giving it a bit more punch. But honestly, it’s marginal—crowds are possible here, and with the inconsistency, you’ll be doing more waiting than surfing.

After that, it fades back into small, choppy junk. The second week has some pulses, like July 25th and 26th, with 2ft and 2ft, but the wind is cross-onshore and the quality is poor. Nothing worth chasing.

So, for the whole outlook: unless you’re desperate for a clean, small wave on Saturday or Sunday morning, keep your board in the car. It’s a lean run.

Rusty.

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