Shida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty again. Let's talk in feet and miles per hour for this stretch of coast. The only break on the list is Shida, so we're stuck with that one spot for the whole run. Honestly, the first week and a half is a total write-off for decent waves, but there's a real monster lurking in the second week that's gonna be something special for the brave.

Right now, the 27th of July is a right-off. We've got onshore winds, sloppy 4ft windswell with a period of just 5 to 6 seconds. The combined swell energy is weak at around 244 (units) – just not worth paddling out. That poor pattern hangs around for days. A real low point comes on the 30th of July Thursday afternoon where we finally get a clean cross-off breeze, but the swell is tiny at 3ft – just ordinary.

The 31st of July through the 1st of August is flat, barely any energy. The 2nd of August Sunday afternoon shows a pulse of long-period swell (14 seconds) from the SE, pushing 4ft but with a cross-shore wind, making it choppy. Energy jumps to 576 (units), but it's a messy picture. It's not until the 3rd of August Monday that we see something with real size – 6ft to 7ft from the SE with a long period of 16-17 seconds, but it's still crossed up by the wind. The combined energy is strong – up to 2245 (units) – but the conditions just aren't clean.

Now, the 4th of August Tuesday is where it gets *wild*. A massive groundswell rolls in. The reports all say the swell is predicted to be too big for this break, with wave heights hitting 10ft on Tuesday morning and 12ft by the afternoon, with a very long 17-second period. The combined energy is huge, over 5000 (units). This is pure, unadulterated juice. If you're an expert, this is your moment. The wind is light, glassy even on the 5th of August Wednesday morning, with 12ft, 16-second SE swell – perfect texture, but just enormous. For most people, this is a *leave-it-out* kind of day, absolutely not for beginners. The swell peaks on the 7th of August Friday morning with a staggering 16ft to 20ft, 18-second period, and clean offshore winds. The energy numbers hit 25,000 (units) – that's a full-on ocean event.

From the 8th of August Saturday, it starts to back off but stays big. On the 10th of August Monday, it finally drops to a more manageable 7ft, with clean offshore SSW winds. The ESE swell with an 8-second period gives decent shape, and the combined energy is still a solid 2068 (units). The 11th of August Tuesday holds decent at 6ft with a 14-second period and clean offshore winds – excellent for experienced surfers.

The standout here is the run from the 4th to the 8th of August – a powerful, very long-period SE groundswell with clean, offshore winds. But it's exclusively for the experts. Shida is an exposed, intermediate-level break, and when it's that big (over 8ft), it's a beast. The water temp is around 79°F, which is about average for the time of year.

Rusty.

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