Salad Bowls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, this run is all about one spot: Salad Bowls. It’s a sheltered point break, advanced level, and it loves a solid SW swell. We’ve got a great window coming up, but we’ve got to get through a quiet spell first.

The water at Salad Bowls is sitting at 64°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – about 3° off. You’ll feel that chill.

The week starts off on Wednesday the 22nd with a nice 7ft SW swell, period at 12 seconds, and a light offshore breeze. The combined energy is strong (1474). Clean lines, good shape. That’s a solid start. Thursday the 23rd holds the same vibe, with a 7ft SW swell in the morning under light offshore wind (1074 energy), but it gets punchy in the afternoon – 10ft SW at 12 seconds, with a fresh offshore wind. That’s a lot of water moving, but the wind keeps it clean for those who can handle it.

Now, Friday the 24th is the standout. The morning session delivers a 13ft SSW groundswell, period a big 16 seconds, and glassy conditions. Energy is massive at 7817. This is big, powerful, long-period swell. At a point break like Salad Bowls, that’s going to groom into some incredible, deep barrels. This is for experienced surfers only – 13ft is no joke. The afternoon gets a little wonky with cross-onshore wind, so get it early.

Saturday the 25th is still good, with a 8ft SW groundswell (14 seconds) and glassy morning conditions (2209 energy). Another clean morning session. The afternoons tend to get a bit of a cross-breeze, so stick to the early bird routine into the end of July.

Sunday the 26th into Monday the 27th offers smaller but very clean surf – 6ft to 7ft SW, glassy or clean conditions, solid energy in the 1400-1600 range. Great for hungry intermediates getting after it, but it’s not the headliner.

We hit a bit of a speed bump from Tuesday the 28th with a 8ft to 10ft SSW swell, but it’s got a strong cross-onshore wind and some rain. Energy is still high (6000+), but it’s messy. That continues through Wednesday the 29th – surfable, but choppy.

Then we get another clean run from Thursday the 30th of July through Friday the 31st. Swell drops to 7ft to 7ft SW, clean offshore winds, solid energy (1400-1700). Perfect for a good session, not the epic of the 24th, but really fun.

After that, things drop off hard. From August 1st onwards, the swell fades to under 3ft, and the energy plummets. There’s a brief flash on August 5th with a 8ft WSW swell and glassy conditions (1846 energy), which is promising, but it’s two weeks away, so treat it as a hopeful long-range tease.

Bottom line: Friday morning, July 24th, at Salad Bowls is the session to circle. Get that 13ft SSW groundswell with glassy conditions. That’s the one.

- Rusty

Read more