Sakawa River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the Sakawa River region. Let’s get straight into it.

The forecast is a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got some solid sized swell on the way, but the wind is going to be the main character for much of it, making things messy. The real standout is a very specific window towards the end of the first week that looks absolutely magic.

We kick off on Wednesday the 8th of July with a chunky 6ft SSE groundswell. The period is a nice long 16 seconds, so it’s got plenty of push. The problem? A cross-onshore wind is going to mess up the surface, leaving it choppy. The water is sitting a touch colder than usual for this time of year at 75°F.

The wind stays onshore through Thursday the 9th and into Friday the 10th, with the swell hovering around 5ft to 8ft. This is all SSE and S swell, and the wind just won’t get out of the way. It’s not the kind of stuff you’d paddle out for unless you’re really keen.

Now, lock in Sunday the 12th of July for the best session of the whole forecast. Early morning we get a drop in swell to a clean 5ft, but the magic is in the wind. It’s glassy. Absolutely dead calm. The SSW groundswell is a long period 15 seconds, which is a lovely wave, but at a river mouth, that long period might make it a bit straight. Still, for a few hours, the conditions should be superb and the wave energy is strong (1141). The rip should be easy to manage.

After that Sunday morning peak, the swell drops away quickly. By Monday and Tuesday the 13th and 14th, the waves are down to less than 3ft, and the wind goes light and variable. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

From Wednesday the 15th onward, we’re into a long, flat spell. The swell barely cracks 4ft for most of it, and the direction swings around to the ESE, which is not the optimum SE direction for this spot. The wind stays onshore, so the conditions are poor. This poor run of surf is likely to last right through until the end of the forecast period on the 23rd, with only tiny, weak scraps on offer.

So, to sum it up: don’t waste your time on the mid-week stuff. The only real standout is a very early dawn patrol on Sunday the 12th of July. If the river mouth is handling that long period swell, you’ll have clean, glassy chest-to-head-high waves all to yourself. If you miss that window, you’re looking at a long dry spell with nothing worth paddling for. The setup later in the run looks more like a kite surfing zone than a paddle surfing one.

Rusty.

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