Strand (Pipe) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Strand (Pipe). It’s a beach and reef setup, pretty exposed to the swell, and it’s firing from the SW – which is just what this spot likes to see.

The water is sitting at 59°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing freaky there.

Now, the first few days are a bit of a write-off, I won’t lie. We’ve got some small, messy pulses with cross-shore winds and a bit of chop. It’s not until Monday the 20th of July that we start to see a real glimmer. That morning, the wind goes glassy, and we’ve got a clean 4ft of SSW swell rolling in. The energy is moderate (297), and it’s a nice little window for a session if you’re desperate for a paddle.

But the real standout – and I mean the one you circle on the calendar – is the morning of Tuesday the 21st of July. We’ve got a solid 5ft of SSW groundswell, period bumping up to 14 seconds, and the wind is glassy. That’s a proper recipe for clean, lined-up waves. The combined energy is strong (995), so there’s some push behind it. This is the best of the early week for sure.

The waves keep building through the week. Wednesday the 22nd gets a bit bigger, pushing 6ft, but the wind swings cross and cross-on, so it gets a bit lumpy. Thursday the 23rd morning cleans up nicely with a light cross-offshore breeze and 6ft of SSW swell (740 energy). That’s a good session, but the afternoon sees the swell jump to 8ft with a very long 17-second period, and the energy absolutely rockets to 3810. That’s powerful, groundswell energy. It’s going to be big and likely shutting down or just miles of wall at a point, but at a beach and reef like Strand, it could be a handful. That’s expert territory.

Friday the 24th of July is another cracker. The swell drops slightly to 7ft, still SSW, 14 seconds, and the wind is clean cross-offshore all day. Energy is still very strong at over 2000. This is excellent for experienced surfers – clean, powerful, and consistent.

Saturday the 25th of July morning keeps the good run going with offshore winds, 6ft of clean SSW swell, and strong energy (1151). The afternoon goes glassy again, smaller at 5ft, which is a lovely end to the week.

We hit a bit of a lull after that. The following week is mostly cross-shore breezes and chop, with the swell hanging around 4ft to 6ft but without the clean wind to make it worth the paddle. There’s a big pulse on Wednesday the 29th of July, with 10ft of WSW swell, but the wind is a strong cross-shore, so it’s going to be a mess. Not recommended.

The very end of the run, on Sunday the 2nd of August morning, shows a glassy morning with 3ft of SSW swell and a 16-second period. That’s a very long period for such a small wave – it might be clean and fun if you’ve got a longboard, but the energy is low (296), so it’s a light day.

To wrap it up: the best windows are Tuesday the 21st of July morning for the glassy, solid conditions, and the whole of Friday the 24th of July for the clean, powerful, expert-level surf. Don’t sleep on the glassy afternoons on the 25th either.

Rusty.

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