Shichirigahama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Shichirigahama. This river-mouth break has a bit of a patchy run ahead, but there’s some real magic brewing if you can wait it out.

The first few days are a write-off, honestly. Sunday the 5th is tiny, weak, and messy – not worth paddling for. Monday the 6th sees a small bump of 4ft SE swell in the morning, but the energy is weak (241), and while the wind is cross-off, the conditions are just ordinary. Not a standout.

Things start to get interesting from Tuesday the 8th. The early hours see a clean 6ft SSE groundswell (very long period of 16 seconds) with fresh offshore wind from the north. That’s a solid setup. The wave energy is strong (1684), and it’s clean, but at that size and period, this river break might get a bit straight – it’s surfable, but watch the tide. The afternoon holds similar size with more cross-off wind; still good, but not the best of the run.

Then we hit a real gem: Wednesday the 10th, Thursday the 11th, and the morning of Friday the 12th. That stretch is the standout. On the 10th, the morning delivers a clean 7ft S swell (long period 17 seconds) with light cross-off wind and excellent conditions for experienced surfers – strong energy (2559) and great shape. By Friday the 11th, the wind goes glassy early, with another 7ft SSW groundswell (17 seconds) – that’s about as clean as it gets (2574 energy). This is the morning to score. Saturday the 12th morning is glassy again with a drop to 5ft SSW swell (15 seconds) and very good conditions (924 energy). It’s still a lovely wave, a notch down in size but plenty of fun for intermediate skills.

The water temperature is about average for July, no major anomaly to report.

Crowds at Shichirigahama can be around sometimes, so get out early on those glassy mornings for the best chance of a quiet peak. The optimum swell is from the SSW, which matches the best swell directions during that window. It is an inconsistent break, but when it fires like this, it’s well worth the wait.

After that, it fades fast. From Saturday the 12th afternoon through to the end of the period, it drops back to knee-high leftovers with poor energy and onshore or cross winds. The gap after that is a full seven days of nothing worth mentioning – just small, weak, and often choppy junk.

So, the call: if you want the best, get on it from the morning of Wednesday the 10th through to the morning of Saturday the 12th. That Friday the 11th dawn session with glassy 7ft SSW groundswell is the one to circle.

Rusty.

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