Castlepoint - The Gap Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's size up the local breaks for the next couple of weeks. There's a bit of a mixed bag, but a few solid windows are on the cards.

The main action starts to kick up around Monday the 20th. We get a serious pulse of groundswell at Castlepoint - The Gap. Monday morning you're looking at clean, 7ft surf with a long 15-second period. The combined swell energy is a solid 2086, so plenty there. The water temp is around 55°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no surprises. The wind is light cross-off, making for some nice shape. This is one for the experienced crew at this size, and you can expect crowds to be a factor. The south swell direction works a treat for this sheltered spot.

That good energy sticks around through Tuesday the 21st with similar 7ft to 6ft south swell, still clean with light cross-off winds. Still a bit heavy for beginners, but there's plenty of power.

For the standout of the period, I'm calling out Thursday morning, the 30th of July. After a few days of messy, strong winds and a lot of big, blown-out swell, things clean up perfectly. The wind goes glassy, dead calm, and we get a 7ft south groundswell with a solid 14-second period. The combined energy is pumping at 2336. This is a true jewel – glassy conditions with a clean, powerful swell will set the stage for some epic barrels for the experienced surfers. This is the morning to be in the water.

Also worth a look on Monday, the 27th of July. There's a massive swell building, pushing up to about 10ft and even 15ft, but the wind is howling from the south-west for most of it. That'll make a mess of things, but by Monday afternoon the wind swings cross-off and the swell settles to a more manageable 8ft from the south-east with a 12-second period. The energy is massive at 2857. It'll be a raw, challenging session, but for the experts who don't mind a war, there could be some freight train sets.

After that first week of action, the second week turns pretty quiet and ordinary. From Thursday the 31st into the first week of August, the swell drops right off to around 3ft or less, and we get hammered by strong south-west winds most days, making it garbage for paddling. From the 1st of August onwards, it's basically flat and weak with howling winds. You'd be better off leaving the board in the car.

So overall, get in for the solid, clean groundswell on Monday the 20th through Tuesday the 21st, and definitely mark your calendar for that glassy Thursday, the 30th of July. That's the pick of the month.

Rusty.

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