Saltwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s get into it. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up for Saltwater. The window opens on Thursday the 23rd of July, but it’s nothing to write home about.

First thing Thursday morning sees a tiny 3ft swell from the ENE with a weak 129 energy reading – honestly, it’s pretty ordinary. The wind is a light cross-off from the WNW though, so the surface is clean, but you’d be struggling for a proper wave. Afternoon stays small at 2ft. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, Friday the 24th is where it starts to get interesting. Friday morning delivers a clean 4ft SSW swell with a nice offshore wind from the SW. The energy jumps to 332, which is a solid moderate level. The real standout, though, is Friday afternoon. Swell builds to 7ft from the S with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy blasts up to 1473. The wind is a cross-off from the S. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – it’s over 5ft so beginners, take a pass. The water temperature is 67°, which is about average for this time of year, being only 0.5° off the norm.

Saturday the 25th keeps the goods coming. Morning brings a 6ft S swell at a 12-second period, giving that long-period groundswell feel with 931 of energy. Wind is a light cross-off from the WNW, so it's clean. But the pick of the day is Saturday afternoon: 5ft from the S, glassy conditions with the ESE wind dying to a glass-off state, and 538 energy. That will be clean as a whistle.

Sunday the 26th holds 5ft to 6ft S swell, all clean with light breezes. Still very good, but not the peak.

Monday the 27th morning is a gem for a sneaky session – glassy conditions with a 4ft S swell, but it drops off in the afternoon as cross-on wind messes it up. From Tuesday the 28th onward, the surf fades fast. Tiny 3ft, then 1ft on the 29th. That’s a few days of flat to poor conditions.

There’s a spike of energy on Thursday morning the 30th of July – a 8ft S swell with a whopping 1818 energy reading. The problem? The wind is a cross-off from the S at 12 mph, and the commentary calls it marginal. It’s big, but the quality is questionable. After that, we get a string of ordinary to poor conditions right through to August 7th, with only Wednesday morning August 5th offering a brief 5ft SE swell in glassy conditions.

The standout of the whole outlook? Without a doubt, Friday afternoon the 24th of July. That 7ft S swell with 10-second period and 1473 energy, paired with clean cross-off wind, is the biggest, most powerful wave of the period. Only for the experienced crew though. Saturday afternoon the 25th is a close second for everyone else – glassy, 5ft groundswell, perfect conditions for a longboard or funboard.

Crowds at Saltwater can be often, so expect company on those good days, especially since it’s a point break that handles long-period swell beautifully.

Rusty.

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