Thaila Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Thaila are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a solid run of swell, but the wind is nearly always blowing across the face, making it hard to get a truly clean one. The water is a toasty 70°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick wetsuit.

The first real shot at something rideable kicks off on Monday, 20 July. The afternoon sees a south-west swell pushing 2ft, but it’s coming from a very long period 16-second groundswell. That’s got some real energy behind it – the combined energy reading is 464 (moderate). The problem is a light cross-on breeze from the WSW at 6 mph. It’s a little bumpy, but for a beginner-friendly reef, it’s not terrible. The swell direction is south-west, which is pretty much bang on the optimum for this spot.

Tuesday, 21 July, brings a bit more size in the morning – 4ft from the SSW, with that same long 16-second period and a massive 758 combined energy (moderate). The wind is actually onshore from the SW at 6 mph, which is a big plus. It’s not glassy, but it’s clean enough. This is probably the best window of the whole forecast. The afternoon turns choppy, so don’t sleep in.

Wednesday, 22 July, and Thursday, 23 July, are poor. The wind picks up to 9-16 mph from the west, and the swell is around 3ft to 4ft, but it’s all cross-on and messy. The combined energy dips to 457-764, but it’s not worth paddling out for. Friday, 24 July, is marginal again. The swell drops to 2ft in the morning, but the period jumps to a crazy 24 seconds – that’s a very long groundswell. The combined energy is 908 (moderate), but with such a long period, it might break too straight on a reef like this. The wind is light from the south at 6 mph, so it’s clean, but the size is tiny.

The weekend of 25-26 July is a repeat of the same story: waist-high swell, 2ft to 3ft, with long periods (18-21 seconds) and light cross-on winds. It’s surfable, but you’ll be fighting a bit of ripple. The combined energy is still solid (604-867), but the quality is just marginal.

The first week of August is where things get interesting. On Friday, 31 July, the afternoon shows a south swell at 5ft, period 15 seconds, and a combined energy of 1595 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is still cross-on from the WSW at 6 mph, but it’s light. This is a standout, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep an eye on it. The swell direction is S, which is not the optimum SW, but it’s close enough. Saturday, 1 August, sees a similar pulse at 6ft in the afternoon, also from the south, with a 13-second period and 1016 combined energy. The wind is onshore from the SW at 6 mph, so it might be clean. This is the second standout.

After that, the swell fades quickly. By Sunday, 2 August, it’s back to 3ft from the south, and the period drops to 11 seconds. The combined energy is only 391 (weak). The last few days, 3-4 August, are a mix of tiny 2ft SSE swell with a very long 18-second period, and then a 5ft south swell on the 4th, but the wind is cross-on and choppy. Nothing to get excited about.

Overall, the best bet is Tuesday morning, 21 July, for a clean 4ft SSW swell, and then the Friday, 31 July, and Saturday, 1 August, for the bigger 5ft-6ft south swells, though those are a long way out and the wind is a bit of a question mark. Thaila is a reef, so it’s better for beginners, but the crowds are sometimes there, so you might have to share. The long-period swells (15-24 seconds) will give you long waits between sets, so paddle out when you see a lull. It’s not a perfect run, but there are waves to be had.

Rusty.

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