Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Shooting Gallery.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a struggle. We’ve got swell, sure, but the wind is just stuffing it up for the most part. From Friday the 11th right through to the middle of the month, it’s a real battle. The north wind is blowing cross-onshore and it’s lumpy, choppy, and messy. Wave heights are hanging around 5ft to 5ft from the north, with periods around 7 to 9 seconds – that’s short period windswill. Combined energy is moderate (268 to 455), but with that wind, it’s just not worth paddling out. Saturday the 13th afternoon cleans up a touch with a light west wind going cross-offshore and clean, but the swell drops to 4ft – it’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Then we hit a real flat spot. From Monday the 14th right through to Saturday the 20th, the surf is tiny – 1.0ft to 2ft. The wind is a mix of cross, cross-on, and even some onshore. Combined energy drops right off (57 to 249), and conditions are poor. It’s a pretty blank stretch for about a week.

Things look like they might be turning around in the second week. On Monday the 21st, we get a bit of a spike. Afternoon sees a clean cross-offshore breeze from the west-northwest, and while the wave height is only 3ft, that’s a solid 15-second period groundswell coming from the NNW. The combined energy jumps to 525 – that’s a noticeable increase in energy for the size. That’s the kind of long-period swell that will wrap in nicely here.

The real standout, if it holds, is Tuesday the 22nd. Morning has clean 4ft swell from the NNW with a 13-second period (712 combined energy). The afternoon is even better – a cross-offshore breeze from the northwest, the swell holds at 5ft (12-second period, 631 combined energy), and the conditions are clean. That is the pick of the forecast. It’s a reef break, so that long-period groundswell will line up nicely, though with that size and period, it’s a solid intermediate level – beginners might find it a bit much. You’ll want to keep an eye on the crowds because it can get busy here sometimes.

Wednesday the 23rd gets a little messy again with cross-onshore winds, and the week after that drops back down to smaller, choppier conditions with poor surf. All in all, if you can get on it Tuesday the 22nd afternoon, that’s your best chance for a proper session. The rest is a waiting game.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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