Shida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about Shida and the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, with a long stretch of pretty average conditions and then a couple of days that could be absolutely firing – but only for the experienced crew. The water temp is 75°, which is right around normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real chance to paddle out is Monday, July 13th, but it’s nothing to get excited about. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the SSW, but with a cross-shore breeze and the threat of thunderstorms, it’s messy. The combined energy is moderate (475). By Monday afternoon, the swell drops to 3ft with a light cross-offshore breeze, and the energy drops to 256 – you’ll get a wave, but it’s not going to be a session you remember.

Tuesday, July 14th, starts off glassy – I love that – with a 2ft SSW swell (162 energy). It’s small and clean, but very ordinary. The afternoon sees a 15 km/h offshore wind from the south, cleaning up a 2ft swell (130 energy). It’s surfable, but again, nothing special.

From Wednesday, July 15th, through to Monday, July 20th, it’s a real grind. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-off, and the energy is weak to moderate. Wednesday morning has a 1ft swell (82 energy) with a strong cross-off breeze – that’s barely a ripple. The wind picks up and the swell gets a bit bigger towards the weekend, but it’s all cross-onshore and choppy. Saturday the 18th has a 4ft ESE swell (310 energy), but it’s a cross-on mess. Sunday the 19th serves up a 5ft swell (444 energy), but it’s onshore and cross-shore, making it marginal. Monday the 20th is more of the same: 5ft ESE swell, but cross-onshore and choppy (586 energy). This whole stretch is a write-off, honestly. The wind is just ruining everything.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting – but you need to be an expert. On Wednesday, July 22nd, we get a proper pulse. The morning is glassy – dead calm, 7ft swell from the east with a period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 1228. That’s strong, powerful, and clean. The afternoon is an 8ft NE swell (2093 energy!) with a 10 km/h offshore wind. This is going to be a serious, heavy day. The swell direction is from the east and NE, which matches the optimum SE direction for Shida pretty well, but with that size and power, it’s for experienced surfers only. The long period (11 seconds) will give it some real grunt and longer waits between sets.

After that, the surf drops back down. Thursday, July 23rd, has a 4ft ENE swell (385 energy) with a cross-shore breeze – marginal. Friday, July 24th, looks better with a 3ft SSE swell (296 energy) and offshore winds in the morning, cleaning up to 3ft in the afternoon (235 energy). It’s surfable and clean, but a far cry from the 22nd.

The final weekend, the 26th and 27th, is a return to poor form: cross-onshore winds, 4ft to 5ft swell, and choppy. No good.

So, if you’re looking for the standout, it’s absolutely Wednesday, July 22nd. The morning glass-off with that 7ft east swell is a dream scenario for an expert, and the afternoon is almost as good with the offshore wind. But don’t even think about taking a beginner board out there. For the rest of the period, it’s mostly a waiting game. The first week is pretty bleak, and the second week only has that one real highlight.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the forecasts – things can change.

Rusty out.

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