Shichirigahama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch of coast is looking pretty sleepy for a while. We’ve got a run of flat, small days that’ll have you checking your board for dust. The first half of this outlook is all about waiting, not waxing up. But don’t tune out completely, because there’s a pulse of proper swell coming late in the game that might just save the week.

Right now, and for the next several days, it’s all tiny dribble and onshores. Tuesday morning is glassy, but with a weak 0.7ft SSW swell, it’s just not doing anything. That flatness hangs around through the weekend. We’re talking nearly a week of nothing worth paddling out for. The swell tries to nudge up a bit on Monday the 24th, but it’s still just messy and small, with poor conditions.

The turning point comes on Tuesday the 25th. That’s when a proper south-southeast groundswell starts to build. It’s a long-period swell, around 16 seconds, and the energy jumps to a solid 1756. The size gets up to 6ft, but there’s still some onshore wind in the morning, and it’s not clean yet. This is the kind of swell that makes a river mouth like this one start to show its teeth, but you’ll need to be patient.

By Thursday the 27th, we’ve got our first real standout. The swell is holding at 8ft from the south with a 16-second period, and we get a clean, cross-offshore wind from the ENE in the morning. The energy here is strong, at 2971. This is a proper groundswell, the kind that wraps well and offers some power. This river break (Shichigahama) is fairly exposed, but with this direction and period, it should be holding shape. Just be aware, it’s inconsistent, so you’ll be waiting for the sets, but when they come, they’ll be worth it. This is one for experienced surfers, as 8ft is pushing it for the less confident.

The energy peaks on Saturday the 29th, but that’s a washout. We’re looking at 10ft to 12ft of south swell, but it’s arriving with strong onshore winds from the south and southwest, cranking up to 35 km/h. That’s not surfable; that’s just a washing machine. I’d honestly say the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on that day.

After that stormy peak, it settles down into something much more appealing. Sunday the 30th is a gem. The swell has dropped back to a solid 6ft from the SSW with a 14-second period. The wind is offshore from the NNE in the morning, and it swings to a light cross-off in the afternoon. The energy is still strong at 1665. This is going to be clean, lined-up, and probably the best conditions we’ve seen all window. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

Monday the 31st is still decent, with 5ft of SSW swell and a moderate offshore wind. It’s a step down in size from Sunday, but it’ll still be fun and clean, especially for the morning session.

The very end of the window, into the first week of September, shows the swell fading. We’re back to smaller, weaker surf, with moderate offshores keeping it tidy but lacking any real punch. It’s not worth planning a trip around. So, in a nutshell: get through the next week of flatness, keep your eyes on Thursday the 27th for the first bit of power, and make sure you’re free on Sunday the 30th for the cleanest, best-shaped waves of the whole run.

The water temp is running right around 81°F, which is about 0.5°F above the norm for this time of year. So, no drama there—just your usual warm summer water.

Alright, that’s the story. Stay patient, and be ready when it turns on. This is Rusty, signing off.

Read more