Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s take a look at what’s on offer for the next 16 days.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: it’s a pretty grim stretch ahead for Shooting Gallery. The whole 16-day window is a write-off for quality surf. There’s no standout session, no hidden gem, nothing that’d get me out of bed early. The first few days, starting Thursday 23 July, we’ve got a 5ft north swell, but it’s being hammered by a fresh cross-onshore breeze at 19 mph, and the period is a short, weak 7 seconds. The combined energy of all swells is sitting at 241 (moderate), but the wind just ruins any chance of a clean face. The “poor surf conditions” tag is spot on.

That pattern pretty much holds all the way through. The swell bumps up a bit over the weekend – Saturday 25 July sees 7ft from the north, period stretching to 8 seconds, and the combined energy climbing to 466 (moderate). But again, the wind is cross-onshore at 22 mph, making it lumpy and messy. For a reef break, this is just not doing it. The water temp is about 72°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no help there.

We drop into some smaller 3ft to 4ft north swell in the middle of the week, but with onshore or cross-onshore winds every day, it’s choppy and poor. The period stays short, often 6 to 8 seconds, so there’s no real power or shape. The combined energy drops into the 100-200 range (weak to low moderate), confirming the lack of oomph.

By the time we get into early August, the swell flirts with a bit of west-northwest direction on the 2nd and 3rd, with a period of 9 seconds, but the heights are tiny – 2ft to 3ft – and the wind is still cross-onshore. It’s barely rideable, even for a longboard. The combined energy is weak, around 116-127.

The last few days, around 7 August, show a bit of a spike: 6ft north swell, 8 seconds, combined energy hitting 637 (moderate to strong). But again, the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph. That’s 6ft of lumpy, blown-out junk. At that size and with the wind, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

So, the bottom line: there are zero good options in this 16-day window at Shooting Gallery. It’s a long stretch of poor conditions. Sometimes that’s just how it goes for a spot that’s fairly exposed to the north but gets hammered by the prevailing wind. Forecasts can change, so don’t lose hope, but as it stands, I’d leave the board in the garage.

Rusty.

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