Shimoda Yamatoken (Tatado Hama) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Shimoda Yamatoken (Tatado Hama). Straight up, the next week and a bit is a real struggle – we’ve got a long gap with barely a wave worth paddling for. The water’s sitting at 76°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent spring suit.

From Saturday July 11th right through to Monday July 20th, it’s pretty much dead. The swell’s tiny – mostly 1 ft to 3 ft – and nearly every session is plagued by cross or onshore wind. Even the couple of glassy windows on Monday July 13th morning and Thursday July 16th morning only offer up 1 ft and 3 ft of weak, short-period windswell. The combined energy is pitiful, sitting around 43 to 99 (weak energy). Surfable? Barely. Exciting? Not even close.

We finally see a pulse of life on Tuesday July 21st. The morning brings a glassy 3 ft easterly swell with a 10-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 201 (moderate energy). It’s surfable, but still just ordinary conditions – the swell’s not got much punch. The real standout, though, is Wednesday July 22nd. That morning is the pick of the entire forecast: glassy conditions with a 5 ft ESE swell, a solid 13-second period, and the combined energy hits a strong 905 (strong wave energy). That’s a proper groundswell with decent shape, and the optimum direction from the southeast lines up well. It’s going to be clean and fun – but at 5 ft, it might be a bit much for beginners. The afternoon gets onshore and messy, so make the most of that morning session.

After that, the surf drops back again into ordinary territory through July 23rd and 24th, with small glassy windows but weak energy. Then on Saturday July 25th, we get another morning highlight: clean, glassy, 4 ft SE swell with an 11-second period and moderate energy (278). It’s a nice little window, perfect for a longboard or a mid-length.

Going into the second week, Sunday July 26th sees some size but with a caveat. The morning has a 6 ft SE swell at 14 seconds – big period, strong energy (1501) – but it’s cross-on and messy. That’s expert territory over 8 ft, but at 6 ft it’s still heavy and the long period means it’ll be better for the point or reef setups than a straight beach break. The afternoon pushes up to 7 ft from the same direction, but onshore wind spoils it. Honestly, if you’re a kite surfer, those bigger, wind-affected days might look more appealing.

For a stretch this long with so little consistent swell, the Wednesday July 22nd morning is the one to circle – it’s the true standout. After that, the Saturday July 25th morning is a solid backup. The rest? A lot of waiting.

Rusty.

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