Shichirigahama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a run of surf on the cards, but it’s not all plain sailing. The first week sees some solid, punchy swell but it comes with a few caveats, and the second week drops right off into flat, poor conditions. The best of the lot is definitely the first few days, but we need to pick our moments.

Shichirigahama is the only game in town here. Starting off Tuesday morning, the 4th of August, we’ve got clean 5ft of SE swell, with a long 17-second period, and a fresh offshore wind from the NE. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 83°F, which is nice. The wave energy is already strong (1098), but the comment says it’s marginal, so don’t expect perfection. Tuesday afternoon stays clean, bumps up to 6ft from the SE, with a 16-second period and a moderate cross-offshore breeze. The energy jumps to 1467, getting better.

Wednesday the 5th is where it starts to get interesting. Morning session sees 7ft of SSE swell, a 15-second period, and a fresh offshore NNE wind. The energy is cranking at 2228. This is proper groundswell, and with that long period, it’s going to be offering up some powerful, well-shaped lines at this river mouth. It’s a little on the bigger side, but it’s clean and offshore. Wednesday afternoon stays similar at 8ft, with the same energy theme (2479), and a moderate cross-offshore breeze. This is the standout window. The swell direction from the SSE is bang on the optimum, and the wind is clean. It’s still in the intermediate-friendly zone, but the bigger sets will test you.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th keep the pulse going. Thursday morning is 7ft of SSE swell, still clean with a cross-offshore breeze, but the period has dropped to 14 seconds, so the quality will be a touch less refined. Energy is still strong (1623). Thursday afternoon shifts to a light cross-shore from the SE, which introduces a little wind ripple, but it’s still surfable. Friday brings rain showers. Morning is 7ft of S swell, clean with a cross-offshore breeze, but the afternoon gets a little choppy with a cross-shore wind.

By Saturday the 8th, the swell drops to 5ft. The morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, and the comment says “expect very good surf conditions,” which is a nice surprise despite the smaller size. The afternoon turns to a moderate cross-onshore, choppy mess, so get your session in early.

From Sunday the 9th onward, the swell fades fast. The 9th has 4ft, clean, but it’s a shadow of the midweek energy. Monday the 10th is down to 3ft, and the wind is howling fresh offshore, making it clean but tiny. The energy drops to 538. Tuesday the 11th is a similar story, 3ft, clean but small.

Then, from Wednesday the 12th all the way through to Wednesday the 19th, it’s a grim run. The swell rarely breaks 3ft, the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the energy figures are in the low hundreds or even below 100. The comment is “poor surf conditions” for almost every session. It’s flat, it’s choppy, and it’s not worth paddling out for. That’s a solid week of nothing.

So, the one true standout is Wednesday the 5th of August. The morning and afternoon both offer 7ft to 8ft of SSE groundswell, clean offshore to cross-offshore winds, and massive energy. It’s the best bang for your buck. If you miss that, Thursday morning is the next best call. After that, the window closes fast.

The river mouth setup here can be a bit inconsistent, but when it fires like this, it’s worth the wait. Don’t expect much in the second week at all.

Rusty, signing off.

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