Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've stared at this forecast for Shooting Gallery and I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough run. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a struggle, with clean conditions and decent waves not really lining up at all. This is a reef break that's fairly exposed to the swell, but the wind has been a real bastard for the most part. Water temps are sitting at 73°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won't be cold while you're getting frustrated.

The first real chance of anything worthwhile doesn't show up until the very end. From Saturday, 18 July right through to Friday, 31 July, it's a brutal stretch. The wind is locked in from the north and north-northeast, blowing cross-onshore at 15-19 mph – that's fresh to moderate breeze, and it's turning the surf into a choppy, lumpy mess. The swell height is mostly between 4 ft and 6 ft, but it's a short-period windswell, with periods of 6 to 8 seconds. That's not going to shape up into anything clean on the reef. The combined energy of all swells directed here ranges from 116 to 854 – moderate to strong numbers – but it doesn't mean a thing if the wind is trashing it. Every single session is labelled "poor surf conditions" with a score of 0 out of 10. Nothing to get excited about.

Then around Monday, 27 July, things start to shift slightly. The wind eases a bit, going to a gentle to moderate breeze from the north-northwest, and the swell bumps up to 7 ft to 8 ft from the north-northeast with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy peaks at 863 (strong). The conditions are still marginal, with a "1" score, and it's cross-onshore or cross-shore, so still choppy. That 8 ft is getting into the territory where it's only for the more experienced crew, especially on a reef. A couple of days later, on Tuesday, 28 July, the wind finally goes to a cross-shore from the northwest, but the swell drops back to 6 ft and the waves are still poor.

The only real standout, and I mean the only one, is the morning of Saturday, 1 August. The forecast shows a light breeze from the northwest at 6 mph, which is a cross-offshore wind. For the first time in the whole outlook, the wave comment says "expect good surf conditions" with a score of 2 out of 10. The swell is 5 ft from the north, with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is 359 (moderate). The water is described as "clean". This is a promising window but it's over a week away, so don't bank on it. The reef should handle that north swell pretty well, especially with that light cross-offshore wind grooming the faces. It's a consistent spot, and with the conditions looking good, it could be a fun session for intermediates. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so you might have a few others with the same idea.

After that, the afternoon of the 1st and the rest of the 2nd of August slide back into poor conditions with cross-shore winds and lumpy surf.

So, if you're keen, keep your eye on the morning of Saturday, 1 August. That's your best shot. Everything else is a write-off. The reef is a reliable wave, but it needs the wind to play ball, and for nearly two weeks, it just doesn't.

Rusty.

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