Shipwrecks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s your local surf reporter Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Shipwrecks over the next couple of weeks.

We've got a bit of a slow burn on our hands. The next few days are a write-off, but there's a real standout window shaping up for the back half of the week if you're patient. The water is sitting at 86°, which is a solid 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s proper bathwater, and it’s a nice bonus.

Tuesday morning kicks off with a 5ft SSW swell, but it's carrying a 17-second period and a cross-on S breeze at 9 mph. The combined energy is strong at 2230, but the wind is making it choppy and the call is marginal. Not worth rushing out for. The afternoon sees a slight drop to 5ft, but the wind swings to a cross-off WSW at 12 mph, which cleans things right up. The energy is still strong at 1980, and the period is a very long 16 seconds. This is your first real window – surfable, clean, and with that long-period groundswell pushing in. It'll be best on the point, as the reef might get a bit straight with the long swell.

Wednesday morning drops to 4ft from the SSW with a 16-second period, but the cross-on SSE wind at 6 mph is a buzzkill. The afternoon, however, is your absolute standout. It's only 4ft, but the period is 15 seconds, the wind is a clean offshore from the WNW at 9 mph, and the energy is moderate at 833. The call is for very good surf conditions. This is the pick of the trip – clean, lined-up, and with that long-period energy making for some proper waves. This is the one to set your watch for.

After that, Thursday drops off to 4ft and smaller, and the rest of the 16-day window is a long, grim run of tiny 1.0ft to 3ft swells, mostly onshore or cross-shore wind, and either poor or marginal conditions. There are a few afternoon windows with clean cross-off winds on the 1st and 8th of August, but the swell is too small to get excited about (2ft and 3ft respectively). The energy is weak, dipping into the double digits and low triple digits. There's a brief moment on the morning of the 5th of August with a glassy 2ft, but it's a short-period 8-second wave – not worth the paddle.

So, to sum it up: the best bet is hands down Wednesday afternoon, the 29th of July. It's clean, it's got that long-period groundswell, and the energy is there. Tuesday afternoon is a solid backup. After that, the forecast is a dust bowl for surf. If you're a kite surfer, the strong cross-off and cross-shore winds on the bigger swell days earlier on might be more your game than paddle surfing.

Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, I’d be marking that Wednesday afternoon session in red.

Rusty.

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