Sultans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are a mixed bag at Sultans. We’ve got some clean windows, but plenty of choppy, cross-onshore junk to wade through too. The overall pattern is a slow build from small, weak swells into a serious pulse of energy later on, but the wind is the real story – it’s going to be a fight to find the clean moments.

The first few days are pretty average. Sunday the 19th is small, with a 2ft SSW swell and a 12-second period, but the wind is a cross-on or cross-shore breeze, so it’s choppy and messy. The combined energy is weak to moderate (171–241). Not much to get excited about.

Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are similar – small 2ft to 3ft SSW swell, light winds but mostly cross-on or cross-shore, keeping the surface lumpy. Energy is still moderate (205–323). The one bright spot: Tuesday morning has a brief window of offshore wind from the SSW, but the swell is still tiny at 3ft.

Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd look better. The swell drops to 4ft from the SSE, but the wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the NW and WNW. That’s the key – the surface goes clean. The period is short, 8 to 9 seconds, so it’s a bit weak and crumbly, but the energy is moderate (188–296). For a few sessions, it’ll be fun small waves with no crowd stress.

Friday the 24th is the real standout. Morning sees a 4ft SSE swell with a 9-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 410 – solid moderate. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the WNW, so the surface is clean. This is the best of the first week. Late afternoon stays clean with a 4ft SSE swell, but the wind picks up a touch.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th gets lumpy again. Saturday the 25th has a 3ft to 4ft swell, but the wind is a moderate cross-offshore, 20 km/h, which keeps it clean but bumpy. The energy is moderate to strong (409–448). Sunday the 26th has a bigger 5ft SE swell and the energy climbs to 571–623, but the wind is cross-shore, so there’s a slight chop on the face.

From Monday the 27th through to Wednesday the 29th, it’s back to poor conditions. Cross-onshore wind from the SW and WSW, 15–20 km/h, making the surface choppy and ugly. Swell sits around 4ft to 5ft from the SE and SSW, but the wind ruins it. The energy is moderate to strong (315–744). Not worth your time.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st see a big, long-period groundswell from the SSW and SW, with periods of 16–17 seconds and even 19 seconds on the 1st of August. The combined energy jumps to 891–1259 – strong. The swell height is 4ft to 5ft, and the wind is a gentle to moderate cross-shore from the W, so the surface has a slight chop but is mostly clean. The crowd at Sultans can be often, so expect company. This is a long-period swell, so it’ll be better on a point or reef setup – and Sultans is a reef, so it’s well-suited. The waves will have more shape and energy, but the sets will be spaced out.

The real standout is the 1st of August. The swell jumps to 6ft from the SSW with a 19-second period – that’s very long period groundswell, proper energy. The combined energy is a massive 2660, which is very strong. The wind is a gentle cross-shore from the WSW, so the surface is only slightly bumpy. This is for experts only – at 6ft, it’s too big for beginners. The long period means it’ll peel nicely on the reef, but the sets will be few and far between. A proper session for the experienced crew.

The 2nd and 3rd of August fade out, with the wind turning cross-onshore again, chopping up a 4ft to 4ft SSW swell. The energy is still strong (956–1235), but the surface is messy.

So, my pick of the period: Friday the 24th of July for the clean, small-wave fun, and Saturday the 1st of August for the big, powerful groundswell (but only if you’re confident in the lineup). The water temperature is about average for the time of year, and the reef at Sultans handles the longer-period swell well.

Rusty.

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