Thaila Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with you – the next two weeks at Thaila are a bit of a grind. We’ve got a long stretch of cross-onshore winds that are going to mess up the surface, and the swell is pretty weak for the majority of the time. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 69°F, which is a nice little bonus if you’re in a spring suit, but the conditions aren’t going to do you any favours.

The first proper surf worth mentioning won’t be until Saturday the 18th of July, and even then it’s marginal. The morning is a write-off – cross-on breeze from the south at 9 mph, with 2ft of SW swell at 18 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 345, but it’s choppy. The afternoon sees a shift to a light onshore wind from the SW at 6 mph, and the swell bumps up to 2ft with a combined energy of 415, but it’s still just a “marginal” call. Not great.

Sunday the 19th stays cross-on, with 3ft of SW swell hitting 722 combined energy in the afternoon, but it’s still choppy. Monday the 20th is more of the same – cross-on, 2ft, energy around 455. Not worth getting excited about.

The first hint of something better shows up on Tuesday the 21st of July. The morning has 4ft of SSW swell with a 16-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 604. The wind is light from the west at 6 mph, so it’s just light cross-on with small ripples. It’s still rated marginal, but it’s the first time the numbers actually look a bit interesting. The afternoon drops back to 3ft and 426 energy, so don’t sleep in.

Wednesday the 22nd has a similar story – light onshore in the morning, 3ft of SSW swell, and 412 energy. The afternoon gets better with 3ft from the SSE, 16-second period, and a combined energy of 676. The wind is light cross-on, so it’s a bit cleaner. The best of the bunch is Thursday the 24th of July. The morning brings 6ft of S swell at 14 seconds, with a combined energy of 1415 – that’s strong wave energy. Wind is 9 mph from the south, cross-on, so it’s a bit choppy, but it’s the biggest swell of the period. The afternoon is similar, 6ft, energy at 1326, with lighter winds. This is for the experienced crew, as it’s over 5ft and heading towards that 7ft mark. Friday the 25th is also solid – 6ft in the morning, 5ft in the afternoon, with light cross-on winds and a combined energy of 1483. The swell direction is right on the optimum SW, so Thaila should be seeing some decent lines.

After that, it drops off quickly. Sunday the 26th has a long-period 3ft SSW swell at 19 seconds, with light onshore winds, but the energy is still strong at 957. The waves will be clean but small, and that long period might make it a bit walled at this reef break. Then it’s back to poor surf conditions from Monday the 27th onwards.

The standout is definitely Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th of July. The swell is solid, the direction is good, and the light winds in the afternoon will clean it up a bit. It’s going to be a bit of a wait, but those two days are the ones to pencil in. Crowds are possible at Thaila, so get in early.

Rusty.

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