Southerndown Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for us here at Southerndown. I’ll be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one to swallow. We’ve got a long, quiet run ahead with barely a whisper of swell for the next couple of weeks. The water is sitting at 66°F which is a good 7°F warmer than it should be for this time of year – that's very unusual.

For the first week, from Sunday the 5th of July right through to the following Saturday the 11th, it’s a write-off. We’re looking at tiny waves, mostly 1 foot to 1 feet, with weak combined swell energy (scoring between 8 and 38). The wind is coming from the west, straight onshore or cross-on, making it choppy and messy. There’s simply no push in the water. Even when we get a glassy morning on Wednesday the 8th, there’s only 1 foot to play with – barely a ripple.

The next week continues the same story. From Sunday the 12th of July through to Thursday the 16th, the swell stays in the 0.3 feet to 1 feet range. The wind does go offshore from the east-northeast on the morning of Monday the 13th, with a clean 0.3 feet of swell and a long period of 14 seconds – but that’s not enough to even wet your board. The combined energy is a paltry 5.

Now, there is a hint of something bigger at the very end. On Sunday the 19th of July, we start to see a bump. The swell climbs to a lanky 3 feet by the morning, but it's a short period (6 seconds) and the wind is directly onshore from the west-southwest. By the afternoon, it’s up to 5 feet with a combined energy of 206 – moderate energy at last – but again, cross-onshore wind and short period will make it lumpy. That’s more of a messy, blown-out affair, not a clean ride. On Monday the 20th, the swell gets up to 4 feet from the west, with a period of 9 seconds and the combined energy jumping to 517 (strong wave energy), but the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore westerly. That setup is proper choppy and lumpy – honestly, at that point with the wind and the messy conditions at a beach break, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

To be blunt, there’s no standout session in this entire 16-day window. The waves are just too small and the wind is too often onshore. It’s a long blank run for us, and that’s just how it goes sometimes around here. Keep an eye on the forecasts for the 19th and 20th, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m holding out for a better run.

Rusty

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