The Fort Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, checkin' in from the local surf scene. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it's a bit of a tough stretch ahead. The Fort is our only option on the table, and it's a reef break that's fairly exposed to the SW swell. The water temp is about what you'd expect for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We've got a long, drawn-out period of marginal-to-poor conditions. The wind is a persistent issue, mostly cross-shore from the WNW, which is keeping things lumpy and chopped. The swell energy is moderate, with combined energy values in the three-digit range, but it's not translating into clean surf. The main issue is that the wind is just never quite doing us any favours.

Saturday morning, 25th July kicks off with a 3ft SW swell, but it's a 21-second period groundswell – that's a long period, usually better for points or reefs, but the cross-shore wind is already messing up the surface. The combined energy is strong at 1096, but the report says it's marginal, so the tide is probably a factor. The afternoon drops to 3ft and the wind picks up, making it a write-off. This pattern of a 3ft SW swell in the morning and a smaller, wind-affected afternoon is pretty much the story for the next few days.

Sunday, 26th and Monday, 27th July are the same deal – a 3ft SW swell in the morning with a cross-shore breeze, and then a lumpy afternoon. The swell period drops from 21 seconds down to 18 seconds, so the energy is still there, but the quality isn't.

Tuesday, 28th July is a right-off, with a fresh cross-shore breeze all day.

Wednesday, 29th July morning shows a glimmer, 3ft SW swell with a 16-second period and a moderate cross-shore, but it's still rated marginal. The afternoon gets windier again.

From Thursday, 30th July onward, the swell direction shifts. We get a WNW swell on the Thursday morning, 6ft but with a pathetic 8-second period. That's short-period, windswell stuff, and it's cross-onshore. The afternoon is a different, smaller SSW swell. Nothing to get excited about.

Friday, 31st July is a light wind day, but the swell is small and from the SSW. The morning is cross-onshore, so still not clean.

Saturday morning, 1st August offers a 6ft WNW swell with an 8-second period and a moderate cross-shore. It's rated marginal, so maybe a session if you're desperate, but it's not a standout.

Sunday morning, 2nd August is where it gets interesting, but not necessarily better. We have a 8ft NW swell with a 9-second period. That's a bit of size, but that period is short. The combined energy is strong at 1279, but with a moderate cross-shore wind, it's going to be a lumpy, messy affair. Over 5ft, so it's not for beginners, and the chop will make it challenging for everyone. The afternoon is a write-off again.

After that, the energy really drops off. From Monday, 3rd August onwards, we're looking at small, weak, and usually windy conditions. The swell drops under 3ft, the periods are short, and the combined energy dips into the low triple digits and even the double digits. Some days have offshore winds, like Tuesday afternoon the 4th with a 3 mph wind from the WSW, but the swell is only 3ft and weak. The rest of the week is a mix of light cross-onshore breezes and tiny, weak swells. The period of really poor, small surf runs from that Monday right through to the end of the forecast on the 9th of August.

To be honest, there's no true standout here. The best of a bad bunch is probably the Saturday morning, 1st of August with that 6ft WNW swell, but only if you're okay with the short period and the cross-shore wind. Don't expect perfect waves. The 8ft NW swell on the Sunday morning, 2nd of August has the most size, but it's short-period and lumpy, so it's more of a challenge than a classic session. For a reef break, the long-period swells earlier on (like the 21-second on the 25th) would have been great if the wind had been offshore, but it wasn't, so it's a big 'what if'.

Overall, it's a bleak run. The consistent cross-shore wind and the lack of a decent, clean swell window keep this from being any good. For the next 16 days, I'd be finding something else to do.

Rusty.

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