Sakawa River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the Sakawa River.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start, with the first real hope showing up Monday afternoon on July 6th. The swell is small, only 3ft from the SE, but the wind goes glassy, and the energy is sitting at 320 (moderate). That’s your first chance to get a clean, tiny wave on a river mouth setup. It won’t be big, but if you’re after a cruisy session with no wind, that’s your window. Water temp is 75°, which is about normal for this time of year, nothing weird.

Tuesday July 7th picks up a bit with a 3ft SSE swell and a period of 15 seconds – that’s proper long-period groundswell, so the energy jumps to 629 (moderate). The morning has a cross-shore wind from the NE, so it’ll be a little tricky, but still surfable. The afternoon sees cleaner conditions with a light offshore from the SE, and the wave height bumps to 5ft (moderate size but still fine for intermediates). The swell direction is SE, which lines up nicely with the optimum for the river mouth. This could be a decent day.

Wednesday July 8th brings more size: 5ft SE in the morning, glassy offshore wind, and energy at 1936 (strong). That’s a big jump in power, but the period is still 14 seconds, so it’s groundswell. The afternoon gets bigger at 7ft from the SSE, but the wind turns cross-onshore, so expect some chop. The river mouth should handle this well, but it’ll be getting solid for beginners.

Thursday July 9th and Friday July 10th see the swell hold in the 6ft to 8ft range, with long periods (15-16 seconds) and strong energy readings (1972 to 3385). The wind stays mostly cross-onshore or light offshore, so it’s not perfect but still rideable. By Saturday July 11th, the swell peaks at 8ft from the S with energy at 3385 – that’s very strong. However, the wind is cross-onshore and the period is 16 seconds, so this long-period swell might break a bit straight at the river mouth, and the crowd factor is “sometimes” busy, so keep that in mind. This is expert territory at 8ft and up.

Sunday July 12th things drop off fast: 4ft SSW with choppy cross-onshore wind. The energy plummets to 555 (moderate). After that, we go into a quiet spell from Monday July 13th through to Thursday July 17th. Swell sizes are under 3ft, periods drop to 9-11 seconds, and energy is low (164 to 292). The wind is mostly cross-onshore or glassy at times, but the surf is pretty ordinary. This is a gap of about 5 days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Then Friday July 18th afternoon shows a pulse of new swell: 8ft SE with a 12-second period and energy at 1649 (strong). The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not pristine but it’s a real uptick. Saturday July 19th keeps that momentum with 8ft ESE in the morning, period at 12 seconds, and strong energy (1683). That’s a solid, powerful swell, but it’s only for experienced surfers at that size, and the direction isn’t quite optimum. The afternoon drops to 7ft but with lighter offshore wind, so it could clean up by the end of the day.

By the final days (July 20th to 22nd), the swell fades quickly: 3ft and below, weak energy (108 to 314), and mostly cross-onshore or offshore winds. Not much to get excited about.

The standout here is Wednesday July 8th morning: 5ft SE swell, glassy offshore wind, strong energy (1936), and the swell direction matches the optimum. That’s your best bet for clean, powerful waves on a river mouth that handles groundswell well. Friday July 10th afternoon is another strong option with 8ft S swell, but the cross-onshore wind knocks it down a notch.

Overall, it’s a pulsey two weeks. Get on it early July, then expect a lull, and maybe score again around the 18th-19th.

Rusty.

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