Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Straight up, I’m looking at the next 16 days for Shooting Gallery, and honestly, it’s a tough stretch. The forecast is a long, frustrating run of poor surf conditions with no real standout sessions. The wind is the main problem – it’s locked in from the north and northeast, blowing cross-onshore and lumpy for almost the entire period. That’s going to chop up the surface and make it a battle out there.

The water temperature is sitting at 73°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing while you’re getting worked.

The swell shows up, but it’s not doing us any favors. From Tuesday, July 21st, we’ve got a north swell around 5 ft, with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 250. It’s not terrible size-wise, but that short period and cross-on wind make for a lumpy, frustrating session. That pattern sticks around through Wednesday and Thursday, with swell heights hovering around 5 ft to 5 ft and energy between 204 and 244. The wind stays fresh and cross-onshore, so the surface is just messy.

By Friday, July 24th, the swell nudges up to 6 ft, and the energy climbs to 330. Still, with that northerly cross-on wind at 19 mph, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. The weekend of July 25th and 26th sees the biggest swell of the window, hitting 7 ft on Saturday with energy peaking at 514. That’s a solid push of water, but it’s still blown out by a fresh 22 mph cross-on wind. For a reef break like Shooting Gallery, that’s going to be a washing machine – too rough for most, and honestly, more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session. Sunday drops back to 6 ft, but the wind is still pumping.

The following week, from July 28th through to August 5th, the swell hangs around 4 ft to 5 ft, with energy dropping as low as 134. The wind finally eases a bit toward the end of the first week of August, with a few periods showing a direct onshore wind from the NNE, but it’s still not clean. The period stays short, mostly 7 to 8 seconds, so the waves are weak and choppy.

The truth is, there’s no day in this 16-day window that I’d call a standout. The forecast is a long grind of poor conditions. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the biggest swell days – July 25th and 26th – will have the most power, but the wind will ruin it. The better calls might be toward the end of the first week of August, when the wind drops to a gentle breeze on the morning of August 5th, but the swell is small and short-period. It’s not a great outlook, folks. Sometimes it’s like this.

Rusty.

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