Shichirigahama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’ve taken a long, hard look at the charts for Shichirigahama. Let me tell you, it’s a tough one for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the outlook is grim for a solid stretch. We’re looking at a run of days with barely any energy. From Wednesday the 15th all the way through to the end of July, the guidance is screaming "poor surf conditions" for almost every single session. The wave energy is incredibly weak, often just single-digit numbers (like 34 or 21), meaning the ocean is almost flat. The swell direction is mostly from the south or southeast, which isn't the optimum SSW for this river mouth, and the wind is usually cross-on or onshore, messing up what little bump there is.

There’s one tiny window on the morning of Wednesday the 22nd where the wind goes offshore from the NE, but the swell is only 0.3 ft. It’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride. You’d be bobbing around on a mill pond.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until Friday the 24th of July. The morning session sees a bit of a jump in energy, with a combined energy of 71 and a clean cross-offshore wind from the east. But the swell is still only 1 ft from the SE. The afternoon gets a bit more size, hitting 4 ft from the SSW, which is a better direction, but the wind swings onshore and the period is a short, weak 4 seconds. It’s not going to be good.

The best bet on offer is the morning of Wednesday the 30th of July. We’ve got a solid 4 ft of swell from the SE, with a very long period of 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is a strong offshore from the NE at 15 mph, so it will be clean. The combined energy is a strong 740. This is the standout. But it’s over 8 ft? No, it’s 4 ft, so it’s fine for intermediates. The long period will make the waves at this river mouth (Japan) a bit more lined up, but it can also make them a little straight. The afternoon has even more energy at 861 and a 4 ft swell, but the wind gets stronger and cross-offshore, making it a bit gnarly. The crowds are "sometimes" here, so you might have some company for this rare clean day.

Everything else is a write-off. The water temp is about 77°F, which is pretty normal for the time of year here.

So, to sum it up: you’ve got a long, slow grind of flatness until the very end of the forecast. The 30th of July is your only realistic chance, and it looks promising but it’s a long way out. Keep an eye on it. For now, the board stays in the car.

Rusty.

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