Sakawa River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for the Sakawa River over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it's a bit of a flat spell for the most part. We've got a few pulses of energy, but the wind is gonna be a real pain. The first real chance of a wave isn't until Monday, July 13th, with a small SSW swell showing up. The water is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, sitting at 76°F.

The standout session, and really the only one that gets me talking, is on Monday, July 13th. The Sakawa River (Japan) will see a small, clean swell from the SSW at 3ft, and the wind is dead glassy. That's a rare combo here, so if you’ve got a log, get out there for the afternoon. The combined energy is weak (225), but the clean conditions make it rideable. The swell has a period of 12 seconds, so it's a proper groundswell with a bit of push.

After that, it's a tough watch. The morning of Tuesday the 14th drops to 2ft with a cross-on breeze, and the afternoon gets even smaller and choppier. Wednesday the 15th is a write-off with tiny, messy waves. Thursday the 16th is glassy in the morning but the swell is only 2ft with a terrible 5-second period, which is just bumpy and weak. The rest of the week through to the 25th of July is a long stretch of tiny surf, poor conditions, and offshore winds that are never quite right.

Things look a bit more promising but still messy late in the run. On Monday, July 27th, the swell picks up to 3–4ft from the S with a combined energy reading of 464, which is a moderate punch. The period hits 11-12 seconds, so there's some groundswell quality. But the wind is a strong cross-onshore from the ENE at 15 mph, turning it into a choppy mess. That's a kite-surfing setup, not a paddling one.

Tuesday, July 28th, is interesting. The wind swings to a cross-offshore from the NNE at 12 mph, which will clean the waves up nicely. The swell drops to 3–4ft from the S with a period of 10-11 seconds. The combined energy is still strong at 322. It's a marginal call, but if the tide and sandbanks line up, there could be a few clean, punchy lines for the experienced crew. The Sakawa River is a river mouth, so a long-period groundswell can break a bit straight, but a cross-off wind might just make it work.

Honestly, for the next 16 days, the only true standout is that glassy Monday the 13th. The rest is a gamble with either no swell or bad wind.

Rusty.

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