The groyne Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this 16-day window for The Groyne is a rough one. I’m seeing a whole lot of nothing for the first week, with the odd hint of something surfable, but it’s mostly a write-off for paddle surfing. The whole run is a dry spell, so don’t hold your breath.

The first real chance to get wet is on Sunday morning, July 26th. The swell is tiny, only 2ft from the east, with a short period of 7 seconds, so it’s weak. The combined energy is just 59 (weak), but the wind is a light cross-offshore—clean conditions. It’s “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” so you’ll be scratching for scraps. The Groyne is a reef break, exposed to the east, so it’s picking up what little there is.

After that, we hit a massive gap. From Sunday afternoon through to the end of the week, it’s all poor surf conditions with weak, messy energy. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the swell is too small or too short-period to do anything with. The water temperature is about average for late July, nothing unusual.

Now, into the second week, things get bigger but messier. From August 2nd onward, the swell picks up—5ft to 7ft from the east, with combined energy climbing into the moderate range (473 on August 2nd morning). But the wind is a persistent cross-onshore, making it choppy and lumpy. The surf quality is still rated as “poor.” For a beach-and-reef setup like this, with those gusty onshore winds, it’s looking more like a kite-surfing session than a clean paddle session.

The only standout, if you can call it that, is Friday afternoon, August 7th, and Saturday morning, August 8th. On the 7th, we’ve got 6ft from the east, period 8 seconds, with a light onshore wind—marginal, not great. The combined energy is 710 (strong). On the 8th, the swell jumps to 10ft from the east, with a period of 11 seconds, giving a massive combined energy of 2233 (very strong). That’s big, groundswell energy, but it’s onshore wind and the break is exposed. This is for experts only—over 8ft is heavy, and with the direction coming straight in, it’ll be a washing machine. The reef might handle it, but it’s a long shot.

So, bottom line: there’s no good surf on offer here. The first week is dead, and the second week is big and ugly. If you’re desperate, the Sunday morning before the gap is the cleanest you’ll get, and the big swell on the 8th is for the brave and the stupid. Stay tuned—forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board at home.

Rusty.

Read more