Sixtynine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a tough one. The next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper surf at Sixtynine. There’s a bit of a pulse coming through the opener, but it’s marginal at best, and then we’re staring down a long, flat stretch with nothing to get excited about until the very end of the month or early August.

The first bit of action arrives on Thursday, July 16th. We’ve got a long-period groundswell from the west, 3ft at 15 seconds, but the energy is weak (275). The water’s sitting at a warm 80°, which is about average for this time of year. Thursday morning starts clean with a light offshore wind, but the forecast warns of marginal surf or questionable tide conditions – it’s a real tease. By Thursday afternoon, the wind goes cross-on, and it’s still just that small, clean-ish swell. Friday the 17th drops to 2ft, and the wind is messy, cross-on and cross, making it poor. Saturday morning is cross-shore junk with 2ft, but Saturday afternoon goes glassy – still only 2ft and dropping energy (87), so it’s surfable but very ordinary. From Sunday the 19th through the rest of the month, the numbers just fall off a cliff. The swell drops below 1ft, and by Monday the 21st, we’re looking at flat, glassy conditions with no waves at all. That flat spell runs right through to the 28th of July – a solid week-plus of nothing.

Now, there’s a tiny flicker of life on the 28th of July, with a tiny 1ft SW swell, but it’s a short-period windswell, and the wind is onshore. Not worth a paddle. On Wednesday the 29th, we get a bit of a northerly swell, 2ft at 8 seconds, but it’s onshore, messy, and the energy is weak (68). Then on the 31st of July, there’s a 1.0ft pulse from the SW with a very long period of 17 seconds, but the energy is still tiny (47 and 52). The wind is light cross-on, so it’ll be clean, but with that size, it’s just a dribble. This long-period groundswell would be better off at a point or reef, but with only 1.0ft, it’s a non-event.

The one standout – and I use that word loosely – is the Saturday afternoon glass-off on the 18th of July. It’s the only time the wind truly cooperates with what little swell we have. But it’s 2ft, and it’s inconsistent. For a beginner, it’s safe, but for anyone else, it’s a board-stroking session. Honestly, the whole setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, with that long period and small size.

So, we’ve got a couple of days of small, westerly groundswell to start, then a dead flat middle, and a tiny, hopeful uptick at the very end. It’s not good. Keep the board waxed, but don’t hold your breath. Forecasts can change, but this run is pretty normal for the area when it goes quiet.

Rusty.

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