Strand (Pipe) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the upcoming surf window for Strand (Pipe). We've got a solid run of clean, quality swell coming in, so let’s get straight into it.

The first real action kicks off Thursday afternoon, July 23rd. After a windy, rainy morning that you'll want to sleep through, the wind swings around to an offshore ENE, dropping to a glassy 3 mph. That’s the key. The swell is a nice 6 ft from the SSW, with a solid 12-second period pushing energy into the coast. The combined energy is a strong 1293, so there’s plenty of power. This sets up excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The water temp is sitting at 59°, right around average for this time of year, so a wetsuit is fine.

Friday morning, July 24th, is the absolute standout of this whole forecast. It's going to be a special session. We’ve got clear skies and glassy NW winds at 3 mph. The swell builds to a meaty 8 ft, still from the SSW, but with a very long 15-second period. That’s a proper groundswell. The energy jumps to a massive 2371. For you guys who can handle it, this is as good as it gets. Just remember, with that long period, the sets will be more defined, so be patient in the lineup. It’s one for the experts at that size.

The quality holds through Saturday, July 25th. The morning is glassy again with an offshore light breeze, and the swell backs down slightly to a still-powerful 6 ft. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The afternoon stays glassy with a light S wind, offering very good surf.

Sunday morning, July 26th, will be fun for the intermediates. It’s glassy with a smaller 4 ft swell from the SSW. Expect very good, clean conditions. The crowd factor is listed as "sometimes", so it shouldn't be a zoo, but you might have a few out.

After Sunday, the wind turns cross-offshore from the ESE for the rest of the week, but it stays clean. The swell dips a bit on Monday, July 27th and Tuesday, July 28th, but there’s still plenty of energy. However, that ESE wind builds to a fresh 19-22 mph on Tuesday, making it more of a battle. The quality is marginal then.

We then get a bit of a lull from the end of July right through the first few days of August. Swell drops below 3 ft and the conditions are ordinary. August 3rd Monday afternoon shows a little bump up to 4 ft with a clean cross-off wind, offering a chance at a session.

The window closes out with a few chunky, but messy, days from August 4th to the 7th. Swell jumps back up (6 ft to 7 ft), but the wind is onshore or strong cross-shore, making it a choppy mess. Not worth paddling out for. This setup looks more interesting for the kite surfers than us.

So, to sum it up: your absolute best bets are Friday morning, July 24th, for the big, clean groundswell, and Thursday afternoon, July 23rd, for the start of the run. Don't sleep on Saturday or Sunday mornings either.

Rusty.

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