Shichirigahama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, sit down. I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Shichirigahama for the next 16 days, and honestly, it’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. The whole run is a flat spell with tiny, weak waves. There are no standout swells, no real windows of quality, and the scores across the board are rock bottom. The first recommendation comes in on Tuesday morning, the 11th of August, and it’s grim from the get-go.

Alright, let’s walk through it. Tuesday the 11th starts with a tiny 2 ft SSW swell, period at 10 seconds, but the combined energy is a weak 77 (77) and the wind is a cross-on mess. The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is about average for this time of year. That afternoon, the wind picks up to 19 mph straight onshore, making it uglier. The 12th and 13th see a bit of a cleaner look with offshore breezes, but the swell is still a pathetic 1 ft to 2 ft, and it’s just not enough to push a wave. The 14th through the 17th are more of the same: offshore winds here and there, but the swell is consistently below 2 ft with a combined energy that never breaks 100. The 16th has a glassy morning, but it’s on a 1 ft lump – not surfable.

The second week, from the 18th of August onwards, is a carbon copy. There’s a glassy morning on the 19th, but the swell is only 1 ft and from the SE, which is off the guidance optimum. The 21st has a glassy morning on a 1 ft SSW swell, but again, it’s not enough to ride. The 22nd sees a tiny bump to 2 ft, but the wind is cross-shore and messy. The 23rd and 24th are back to glassy mornings but with negligible swell.

The only glimmer of something, and it’s a long-range, highly uncertain promise, shows up on the 26th of August. The swell finally builds to 3 ft from the S, with a period of 13 seconds and a combined energy that jumps to 661 (661). That’s a moderate energy pulse. But the wind is a solid 25 mph onshore from the SSW, which is a disaster. The break is a river mouth, which with a long-period swell like this (13 seconds) can sometimes offer a shape, but with that onshore hammering, it’s going to be a washing machine. It’s too big for beginners, and with that wind, it’s only going to be fun for the experts if they’re feeling masochistic. Honestly, this is looking way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The outlook is poor. The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the 26th of August for the swell height, but the wind ruins it. Everything else is a skip. The crowds at Shichirigahama are sometimes a thing, but with this lack of surf, it won’t be an issue.

Rusty.

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