Shida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at Shida over the next couple of weeks. There’s a big stretch of dud days to get through, but there’s a proper pulse of energy shaping up down the line if you can wait.

First things first, you’re looking at a pretty poor run to kick things off. The water’s sitting at 79°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. But the surf? Man, from Friday the 14th right through until Saturday the 22nd, it’s mostly a write-off. You’ve got small, weak, messy waves day after day. The swell energy is all over the place but pretty weak for the most part, with occasional moderate readings like 1326 on Friday morning, but the winds are never clean enough to make it worthwhile. It’s mostly crossed-up or onshore, with some chop. There are a few afternoons where it cleans up a touch, but the swell’s just not there. Honestly, this whole first week and a half is a real grind. The best you can say is Monday afternoon the 17th looks clean with a light cross-off breeze, but the swell’s only 4 ft from the ESE at a short 9 seconds – not enough to get excited about.

Now, if you’ve got patience, the real story starts on Sunday the 23rd. The swell direction swings and you start to see some proper groundswell potential. The standout window is Tuesday the 25th through Wednesday the 26th. On Tuesday afternoon the 25th, Shida gets a solid 6 ft swell from the SE, with a nice long 14-second period pushing a strong combined energy of 1539. The wind is a clean cross-off, and it’s marked as excellent for experienced surfers. This is your best bet. On Wednesday the 26th, things get even better. The morning is glassy – absolutely dead calm – with a 7 ft ESE swell at 14 seconds and energy at 1841. That’s proper stuff. The wind stays light offshore in the afternoon. These are the days to circle. That big, long-period swell is going to line up nicely, but keep in mind it might wall up a bit on a beach break; Shida is an exposed setup so it should handle it, but expect it to be powerful and for experienced surfers only – over 8 ft is expert territory, and this is close. It could get a bit heavy. Also, it’s inconsistent and can be crowded here, so don’t expect empty lineups if you paddle out.

The energy drops off a bit late in the week but the conditions hold. Friday the 28th still has clean 5 ft swell from the ENE, and the water’s still warm. By Saturday the 29th, it fades out to small and weak, with a fresh offshore wind that’s not much use for paddling.

Honestly, the only two real standouts are Tuesday the 25th afternoon and Wednesday the 26th morning and afternoon. Wait for that glassy morning on the 26th – that’s the one to remember.

Rusty.

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