Castlepoint - The Gap Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve had a good look at the charts for Castlepoint. There’s a real mixed bag coming our way, but we’ve got some solid windows to get wet.

The overall pattern starts with a decent pulse of ESE groundswell that hangs around for a couple of days before dropping off. Then, after a few days of messy, windy conditions, a bigger, more powerful S’ly groundswell shows up in the second week, with some real standout sessions for the experienced crew.

The first surf worth talking about kicks off on Tuesday, the 28th of July. The Gap is your spot. Early morning we’re looking at a clean 7ft of ESE swell, with a period of 13 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell with plenty of push, and the energy is strong (1637). The wind is a light westerly cross-off, so it’ll be lined up nicely. Afternoon glass-off: the wind goes southeast at 5 mph, turning it glassy. The swell drops a touch to 7ft, but the energy is still pumping (1639). It’s a beginner-friendly break, but with that size, it’s getting into the fun zone. Water temps are about what you’d expect for this time of year.

Wednesday the 29th is still fun, with the ESE swell easing to 6ft and the period holding at 13 seconds in the morning. The wind is a light north cross-off, keeping it clean. The energy is moderate but still solid (978). The afternoon sees the wind pick up from the NNW at 12 mph, which makes it a bit more bumpy, so get on it early.

The end of the week goes a bit pear-shaped. Thursday and Friday see the swell drop and the wind howl out of the north-west and then howl even harder out of the west-northwest on Friday, hitting 31 mph. That’s a near-gale, making it a battle just to get out. Saturday the 1st of August is a write-off for surfing; a strong cross-shore makes a mess of the waves, and a short-period 7ft S’ly windswell is just ugly. Sunday the 2nd is looking big and dangerous, with a 10ft S’ly swell (energy 2185) but blowing 28 mph cross-shore. That’s a kite session, not a paddle.

Now, hold on to your boards, because things get interesting again. Monday the 3rd of August is a hidden gem. A clean 7ft SSE swell with a light south-west cross-off wind. The energy is strong (1177) and the conditions are clean. The crowd factor is “often” here, so expect some company. Tuesday the 4th brings a very long 17-second S’ly groundswell at 6ft with a light westerly cross-off in the morning. That’s a lot of energy (1907) and will be absolutely ripping down the point. This is a standout for the more experienced surfer as the long period can make a point break like The Gap really come alive.

The real standout, the one that’s got me excited, is Thursday the 6th of August. The morning is packing a solid 12ft S’ly swell with an 11-second period, and a light west wind keeping it clean. The energy is massive (2653). This is a big-wave day. The afternoon bumps it up to 13ft with an energy reading of 6160, which is just monstrous. This is only for experts. If you’ve got the nerve, the first half of the day will be the cleanest.

Friday the 7th is still a highlight, with an 8ft S’ly swell, 12-second period, and a light offshore west wind. That’s clean and powerful. The weekend after that drops off in size but remains surfable, with Sunday the 9th offering a long-period 7ft S’ly swell and a light north-west cross-off – a great wrap-up to the swell.

The following week sees the swell taper off, with a few smaller days up to the 12th of August, offering clean but smaller waves for the loggers and longboarders.

To sum it up, the clear standouts are Tuesday the 28th of July for a clean, medium-sized session, and Thursday the 6th of August for the big-wave crew. The best quality is with the south swells in the first week of August when the winds are light.

Rusty, signing off.

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