Shichirigahama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Shichigahama.

Alright, to be straight with you, we are looking at a very slow start. For the next several days, from Thursday the 30th of July right through to Sunday the 2nd of August, it’s flat. Like, not worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, and the wind is mostly on it or all over the place. You’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Monday morning, the 3rd of August. We’ve got a clean little pulse coming in from the southeast, with waves around 3 feet. The wind is a clean offshore from the northeast, which is a beautiful thing. The combined energy is building, reading at 438, so it’s got a bit of life, but the swell period is 16 seconds, which is proper groundswell. That’s good for shape and power, but at a river break like Shichirigahama, a long period swell can make it a bit wonky and straight. Still, for a Monday morning session with just the locals out, it’s a solid start. Water temp is 81°, which is bang on average for this time of year.

Now, if you want to talk about the standout, we have to look at Wednesday the 5th of August. That is the one. The morning is showing a solid 10-foot swell from the south-southeast, with a clean, moderate offshore breeze from the north-northeast at 12 mph. The combined energy is huge – we’re talking 4342 – this is serious wave energy. The period is a long 17 seconds, so these are deep-water lines pushing in. This is for experienced surfers only. It’s big, powerful, and with that long period, it might be a bit walled-up on the bank, but for anyone who knows what they’re doing, this is as good as it gets in this window. The swell direction is matching the optimum for Shichirigahama (SSW), so it’s going to be breaking perfectly.

Thursday the 6th holds in that same range, with 12 feet from the south in the morning, but the wind is cross-off and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. It’s still big and raw, but maybe a bit more dicey. For the experts, it’s still game on. By Friday the 7th, the swell drops to a still-chunky 8 feet, and with light cross-off winds, it’ll be clean but still only for the confident crew.

After that, things back right off. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th offer some small, clean walls in the 3 to 4 feet range, which would be fun on a longboard if you’re just trying to stretch the arms. After that, it’s pretty much back to the doldrums for the second week. There’s a bit of windswell from the south and southeast, but the wave heights are tiny and the energy is weak. A few mornings from the 11th to the 14th show clean offshore wind, but the swell just isn’t there.

Bottom line: If you’re a beginner, stay out of the water on that big Wednesday and Thursday – it’s way too much. If you’re an expert, circle Wednesday the 5th of August on your calendar. The rest of the window is mostly flat or too small.

Rusty.

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