Salad Bowls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up, 'cause I've been staring at the charts for Salad Bowls and it's a story with a few chapters.

The first real swell of the run kicks in on Wednesday morning, the 22nd of July. We’re looking at a solid 7ft SW groundswell rolling in with a long 12-second period, and the wind is glassy offshore from the WSW. The water is sitting at 64°, which is a touch cooler than we usually get this time of year – a bit of a bite to it, but you’ll warm up quick. That morning session is a beauty, with clean lines and heaps of energy. The afternoon holds up too, though the wind picks up a notch, it’s still offshore and clean.

Thursday morning, the 23rd, stays clean with a similar offshore breeze, dropping a little to 6ft, but still quality. Thursday afternoon, though, the wind cranks up to 22 mph offshore. That’s a lot of juice, pushing the swell to 10ft. It’ll be a wild, bumpy ride for the brave, but not the kind of glassy perfection we want.

Now, Friday the 24th… this is the one to circle. We’ve got a 13ft SSW groundswell with a *very* long 16-second period. The energy reading is massive (7616), and the morning is dead calm – glassy. This is a serious, powerful groundswell. For a point break like Salad Bowls, that long period will groom into some proper, heavy walls. This is for experienced surfers only; 13ft is no joke. The afternoon dies out as the wind swings onshore, so get on it early.

Saturday the 25th is a solid follow-up. The swell drops to 8ft from the SW, but the morning is glassy again. Clean, punchy waves with good energy. The afternoon gets a bit of a cross-onshore breeze, so not as clean.

We have a bit of a lull through Sunday and Monday, with some cross-shore and cross-onshore winds messing with the texture, though Sunday afternoon goes glassy again on a smaller 6ft swell. It’s rideable, but not the standout.

The next big highlight comes on Wednesday, the 29th of July. The swell is 7ft from the SSW with a nice 14-second period, and the wind is offshore in the morning and clean cross-off in the afternoon. The energy is strong (2025), and the conditions are clean. This is a very good day.

From there, the outlook turns sour. Thursday the 30th through to the end of the first week of August is plagued by strong onshore winds and messy, lumpy conditions. The swell drops off significantly, with heights falling below 3ft and poor wave shapes. There’s a gap of about four or five days of mostly poor surf here.

Then, on Wednesday, the 5th of August, we get a late pulse. A 7ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and a fresh offshore wind. The energy is back (1886). It’s a solid, clean day, but it’s a long way out, so keep your fingers crossed. The last few days of the forecast fade out with smaller, wind-affected surf.

So, to sum it up: Friday morning the 24th of July is the absolute standout – that massive, glassy groundswell is a rare treat, but it’s for the experienced crew. Wednesday the 29th is the best all-rounder for the rest of the run. The long-range swell on the 5th of August is promising, but needs a watch.

Rusty.

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