Shichirigahama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this forecast for Shichigahama is a real slow burner. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, onshore slop to start, and it’s not until the very end of the month that we see any real pulse of energy. If you’ve got patience, there’s a window of proper swell, but it’s not for the faint-hearted.

The first week and a half is pretty grim. From Saturday the 18th of July right through to the 27th, we’re stuck with ankle-to-knee high junk. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave energy is weak, sitting between 20 and 72 (combined energy). The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing to write home about. There’s a brief moment on the morning of the 23rd and 24th where the wind goes light cross-off, leaving the surface clean, but the swell is barely a ripple (0.3ft to 1ft). Not worth paddling out for.

Then, things start to wake up around Monday the 27th of July. The afternoon sees a bump to 4ft from the SSE, with a period of 13 seconds and combined energy of 379 – that’s moderate energy, but the onshore wind (16 mph) just ruins it. The next couple of days, the 28th and 29th, the swell jumps up to 5ft and then 7ft, with the SSE/S swell direction matching the optimum (SSW). The period is solid, 12 to 15 seconds, so there’s proper groundswell in the water. But the wind is still onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. The morning of the 29th has a light cross-onshore with combined energy of 1695 – that’s strong energy – but the surf is only marginal.

The real standout comes on Thursday morning the 30th of July. That’s the pick of the entire forecast. The swell is a solid 7ft from the south, with a 14-second period and combined energy of 1708 (very strong). The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the ENE at 9 mph, and the forecast says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is a proper, powerful groundswell hitting the river mouth. However, 7ft is well over the beginner-friendly mark; this is for experienced surfers only. The long period (14 seconds) will mean long lulls between sets, but the wave shape at a river break should be good. Short period sets are a non-issue here.

The Friday the 31st of July morning is also a big one, with a 7ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and a strong offshore NNE wind at 19 mph. Combined energy is 1834. That’s a clean, powerful setup, but the wind is fresh and the surf is still only rated as “marginal” in the morning, while the afternoon looks excellent again with a light cross-off. The break (Shichigahama) is a river mouth, so it handles that long-period groundswell well. Crowds are possible here, so expect plenty of local chargers.

After that, it drops off fast. The first of August sees the swell dropping to 5ft with a stormy cross-shore wind, and by Sunday the 2nd, it’s back to small, weak junk.

So, bottom line: if you’re a competent surfer, circle the mornings of Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st of July. The 30th morning is the cleanest with that cross-offshore wind and a solid 7ft. The 31st offers a bigger 7ft, but the wind is stronger. Don’t bother before that.

Rusty.

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