Shipwrecks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

It’s a bit of a slow burn, to be honest. We’ve got some decent pulse of swell coming through right at the start, but conditions are going to be a mixed bag, especially with the wind. The real sweet spot looks like it’s going to be around Tuesday the 28th, with a proper groundswell rolling in. But be warned, this isn’t one for the beginners.

First up, Shipwrecks (reef and point) gets going on Monday the 27th, but it’s nothing to write home about. We’re looking at a 6ft SSE swell with an 11-second period, but with a cross-onshore breeze making it choppy. The water is cooking at 87°, which is more than 5° warmer than normal – very unusual for this time of year, so ditch the wetsuit. The energy is strong (1911), but the quality is marginal.

Things pick up on Tuesday the 28th. The morning brings a solid 8ft SSW swell with a very long 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy, massive at 4096. The wind is a light cross-onshore, which will keep it fairly clean. This is your best bet, but at 8ft, it’s getting into expert territory, and that long period means waves will be powerful and likely a bit too straight for a beach break. This is a reef and point, so it should hold up well. The afternoon looks cleaner with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell drops to 5ft.

Wednesday the 29th is a write-off in the morning, with a 4ft swell and cross-onshore wind making a mess of it. The afternoon cleans up but the swell is tiny at 4ft.

From Thursday the 30th onwards, it’s a long, slow grind. The swell just keeps fading day by day. We see some clean afternoons with small, weak waves (energy dropping into the hundreds), but nothing that’s going to get the heart racing. There’s a long run of poor conditions from July 31st right through to August 11th, with the swell barely reaching 3ft for most of that time. You’ll see a few brief pulses of weaker energy around August 6th, 7th, and 10th from a long-period SSW swell (18-20 seconds), but the wave heights are pathetic and the winds aren’t kind. For a stretch of over a week, you’re pretty much looking at flat or blown-out conditions.

So, to sum it up: the standout is Tuesday morning, July 28th at Shipwrecks. Get on it early for an 8ft SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. It’ll be big and powerful, so it’s for experienced surfers only. The rest of the window is a lemon.

Rusty.

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