Royal Palms State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’m going to be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a write-off for any decent waves at Royal Palms State Beach. It’s not you, it’s the ocean. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing but small, weak, and messy surf. The first recommendation doesn’t even pop up until Tuesday the 25th, and even that’s marginal at best.

For the first part of the outlook, from Saturday the 15th all the way through to Monday the 24th, we’re looking at tiny swell, mostly under 3ft, with periods all over the place. The energy is weak, with readings mostly in the low to mid hundreds (like 384 on Saturday morning, dropping to as low as 85 by the afternoon of the 22nd). The wind is the main killer – it’s cross-onshore for the most part, chopping up what little bump there is. A few mornings have a light breeze, but it’s still cross-on, so it’s not going to be clean. Honestly, you’d be better off finding something else to do.

Then, things start to pick up a little towards the end of the window. On Tuesday the 25th, we finally see some proper swell energy arrive, with readings jumping up into the 800s. The swell comes up to 4ft to 4ft from the SSE, with a period around 15-16 seconds. That’s a longer period groundswell, which is good for shape, but the wind is still not your friend. Tuesday morning has a light breeze and is listed as onshore, making it just marginal. The afternoon gets cross-onshore and choppy. It’s not great, but it’s the first real pulse we’ve seen.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th keep that energy going, with swell around 4ft to 5ft. Thursday morning looks like the pick of the bunch, with light airs and a cross-on breeze, still bringing in 5ft from the SSW. The energy is strong, around 745. But it’s still not clean. The afternoon winds pick up again, and it all gets messy. This is likely pushing into the size where it’s a bit much for beginners, and honestly, with the wind, it’s not looking like a fun paddle for anyone else either.

The water is running much warmer than normal for this time of year. You’re looking at 71° to start, which is a solid 5° above average. It’s notable, but not extreme. You won't need a thick suit, that's for sure.

So, bottom line: there’s no standout day here. The best bet is Thursday the 27th morning, but even that comes with a big caveat about the wind. Given the persistent onshore flow and the beach and reef setup, this window might honestly look more interesting for the kite surfers than the paddle surfers. Trust me, I’m as bummed as you are. Keep an eye on the charts; this run of poor conditions tends not to last forever.

Rusty.

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