Saltwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty.

We’ve got a bit of a slow starter for Saltwater, but there’s some real quality lurking later this week. It kicks off with a tiny 0.6ft SSE groundswell on Wednesday the 29th of July, but honestly, with only 42 weak energy, that’s a complete flat day, no point paddling out. Then things start to build overnight. The real story begins Thursday morning the 30th.

Thursday morning is where it’s at. We’ve got a solid 6ft swell from the SSW, with a 12-second period, pumping a combined energy of 1612 (moderate wave energy). That’s a good, powerful wave for experienced surfers only. The wind is a light offshore from the WSW, so it will be clean. This is the standout of the whole run. The water is sitting at 66°, which is normal for the season, no real surprise there. That Thursday morning session is the one to clear your diary for. Thursday afternoon does drop off a notch with a cross-offshore wind, so the quality won’t be as good.

Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st of August hold fun waves too. Friday morning has 6ft S swell, 11-second period, with light offshore SW winds – very good surf. Saturday morning is similar, 6ft S, 10-second period, also with light offshore winds. Good clean waves for a solid intermediate.

Now, Sunday the 2nd of August is a real gem. Early morning, it’s glassy with light NNW winds, and we get 6ft from the SSE at 12 seconds. Combined energy hits 1052 (moderate wave energy). This is excellent for experienced surfers. The glassy conditions will make it look like a mirror. After lunch, the wind shifts cross-onshore and the quality gets marginal, so the early bird gets the worm.

Then we hit a flat spell. Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th have tiny, weak surf with poor conditions. It stays quiet through the rest of the first week and into the second. There’s a long gap of many days with nothing worth mentioning until we get to the tail end of the forecast.

Around the 12th of August, we see a new pulse of 7ft from the S with 11-second period, but the wind is onshore and marginal, so it looks messy. The 13th of August has similar problems with onshore ENE winds, so don’t get too excited.

So, to sum it up: clear the deck for Thursday morning the 30th of July – that’s the best. Sunday morning the 2nd of August is a close second if you can get out early for the glass. The rest of the window is mostly flat or blown out.

Rusty.

Read more