The Gallows Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, so the only spot on the cards for the whole 16-day window is The Gallows, a heavy reef break that’s strictly for the advanced crew. It’s a place that’s fairly consistent, but don’t get too excited – we’ve got a long stretch of real messy, blown-out conditions ahead, with only a few brief windows of clean surf. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing to write home about.

We kick off on Tuesday, July 28th, with a morning session that’s actually looking clean. A light east-southeast breeze is blowing offshore, and we’ve got a solid 10-foot SW groundswell with a 14-second period, packing some serious punch (combined energy of 3549). That’s a lot of water moving around. The forecast says it’s too big for this break, but for an experienced surfer at The Gallows, that’s a big, clean, powerful swell. The afternoon goes downhill quick – the wind swings around to a cross-on, and the energy drops, so Tuesday morning is the call.

Wednesday the 29th is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning has a 8-foot SW swell and a clean, cross-off breeze from the NE. It’s a solid, rideable size for the experienced crowd, but the scores aren’t as high as Tuesday. The afternoon is lighter, with a 7-foot swell, but still clean. Both sessions are worth a look, but Tuesday morning is the better bet.

Thursday the 30th is similar – consistent 6-foot SW swell with clean, cross-off winds. The morning is a bit marginal according to the numbers, but the afternoon gets a better rating. It’s good, clean surf, but not the standout.

Then it all goes pear-shaped. From Friday July 31st right through to Sunday August 10th, we’re looking at a solid week and a half of poor conditions. The wind is a mess – onshore, cross-onshore, fresh to strong breezes, and even a near gale in there. The waves are huge, over 11 feet and up to 20 feet, with periods up to 19 seconds. That’s a massive, powerful, unruly groundswell. The energy readings are through the roof (over 10,000 in many cases), but the wind is just trashing it. The setup is a reef, so it might be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer during this period. It’s just too big and too windy to be enjoyable.

The only glimmer of hope is way off in the second week. On Monday, August 10th, we see a drop in the swell to 12 feet, a light cross-off breeze from the SE, and clean conditions. The energy is still high (3424), but it’s a much more manageable prospect. The forecast says it’s still too big for the break, but for a solid, experienced surfer, that’s a promising window. The following Tuesday, August 11th, holds a 10-foot to 8-foot SW swell, but the wind is howling cross-shore, making it lumpy and messy. That’s a pass.

So, the absolute standout is Tuesday morning, July 28th. The Gallows with a 10-foot SW groundswell, 14-second period, and a light offshore breeze. It’s clean, powerful, and for the right surfer, it’s a dream session. The second-best is a distant call to Monday, August 10th, but that’s a long way off and the forecast is less certain. For everyone else, there’s a lot of waiting for the wind to sort itself out.

Rusty.

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