Shipstern Bluff Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for us. This run starts with a bit of a wait, but when it fires, it’s gonna be a proper one.

The first chance to get wet isn’t until Friday the 31st of July. Thursday the 30th is a write-off – strong cross-onshore wind and messy 8ft swell at Shipstern Bluff. Just leave that one alone.

Friday morning the 31st sees the swell drop to 4ft, SSW, with a long period of 12 seconds. The wind is a gentle cross-off from the NW, cleaning things up nicely. It’s marginal, but by the afternoon, with a light WNW cross-off and 4ft SSW swell at 12 seconds, it cleans right up and offers some very good conditions. A solid little warm-up.

Now, the standout window. Saturday the 1st of August is the one you circle. Morning is clear, a gentle cross-off from the NNW, and 6ft of long-period SSW groundswell at 17 seconds. The combined energy is strong (2352) – that’s proper power. It’s described as excellent for experienced surfers, and that’s being modest. By the afternoon, it gets even better: a gentle offshore wind from the north, 8ft of SSW swell at that same very long 17-second interval, and energy jumping to 3399. That is the premium session. Clean, powerful, and only for the well-practiced. This is a reef break that loves a long-period SW groundswell, and we’ve got a great match here. Crowds are rare, which is hard to believe on a day like this.

Sunday the 2nd keeps the goodness rolling. Morning has a moderate offshore from the north, 7ft SSW at 16 seconds, with strong energy (2166). The afternoon turns glassy with a slight offshore from the NNE, 6ft at 16 seconds, and clean conditions. Excellent for experienced surfers again.

Monday the 3rd starts to back off. Morning has 4ft SSW at 14 seconds with a gentle offshore, very good. The afternoon goes glassy – a light offshore from the NW, 4ft SW at 13 seconds, and still very good shape.

Tuesday the 4th turns poor, with onshore wind and small swell dropping below 3ft. We then hit a dry spell through the middle of the week – Wednesday the 5th to Thursday the 6th is messy and small, with only marginal scraps.

Friday the 7th shows some life again with 4ft SSW at a very long 17 seconds and a light cross-off, but it’s quickly lost to onshore wind.

There’s another gap for a few days until Tuesday the 11th of August, when a new pulse of 6ft SSW at 17 seconds arrives, but with cross-shore winds and a cross-chop making it marginal. Wednesday the 12th has an 8ft SW swell at a shorter 11 seconds, but the wind is fresh and cross, creating lumpy, messy surf. Not the clean power we had on the weekend.

The long-range offers one last interesting look on Friday the 14th of August: 4ft to 6ft SSW with a very long period of 19 to 20 seconds, and a cross-off wind from the ENE. The energy is strong (2010 to 2482), but it’s a week and a half out, so we treat that as promising but less certain.

The real takeaway? If you’re keen and you’ve got the skill, Saturday the 1st of August and Sunday the 2nd are unbeatable here. Big, clean, powerful groundswell at Shipstern Bluff with offshore winds. That’s the session.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty.

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