Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Shooting Gallery.

Truth be told, the next 16 days are a tough watch. The forecast is a long, drawn-out stretch of messy, choppy conditions with onshore and cross-onshore winds that just won’t give it a rest. The swell is there, but it’s all wrong for this place.

The first hint of any rideable swell shows up on Friday, July 31, with a small 3 ft from the north and a short period of 7 seconds. The combined wave energy is weak at 88. The water is sitting at 73°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year – a touch warmer than average, but it’s not going to make up for the poor surf. The wind is blowing straight onshore at 12 mph from the northeast, so it’s blown out from the get-go.

The rest of the first week into early August is more of the same: small, weak swell, mostly 2 ft to 3 ft, with periods under 10 seconds, and cross-onshore winds picking up to 16 mph. The combined swell energy stays in the low to moderate range (109 to 170). It’s a consistent pattern of “poor surf conditions” – choppy, lumpy, and not worth paddling out for.

As we get into the second week, the swell size does build. From Thursday, August 6 onwards, heights are consistently 4 ft to 5 ft, and the energy climbs into the 200s and 300s, with a peak of 386 on August 14. But here’s the rub: the period stays short, 6 to 8 seconds, which means weak, disorganized waves. The wind stays cross-onshore, often a fresh 16-19 mph breeze. The water temp anomaly data runs out, but the conditions don’t change. The setup is a reef that’s fairly exposed to the north, but the wind is ruining any chance of a clean face.

There’s no standout period here. The tow truck of a consistent north swell is running, but the cross-onshore wind and short period mean it’s going to be a battle. Honestly, for a surfer, this looks more like a session for the kite crew than a paddle. We’re looking at a full 16 days with no real window of clean, good surf. If you’re desperate, the water is warm, but the waves are a write-off.

Rusty.

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