The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for The Island.

The Island is a reef break, so it handles a good mix of swells. Right now, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. The first couple of days are looking marginal at best. Thursday the 23rd has a 7 ft SW swell with a 14-second period, but that cross-shore wind is fresh and the surface is lumpy with cross-chop. Not a great time to paddle out. That swell energy is strong though, clocking in at 1602. Friday the 24th is pretty similar, still 6 ft SW at 15 seconds, but the wind is lighter so the chop is less nasty. Still, only a so-so window.

Now, there’s a long gap of mostly poor to marginal conditions from Saturday the 25th right through until the morning of Tuesday the 29th. A combo of onshore, cross-onshore, and fresh winds trashes the quality. The swell drops right off, too. Not a week for beginners—most of these days are not worth the drive.

The standout. Clear your schedule for Wednesday morning, July 29th. That’s the real gem. You’ve got a clean 6 ft SW groundswell (14-second period, so good energy at 1382), with a solid offshore breeze from the east. This is excellent for experienced surfers—the wave quality is going to be unreal, the reef will shape it nicely, and that offshore wind means clean, peeling walls. It’s a “sometimes” crowd spot, so be ready for a few others to have the same idea. This is the one to aim for.

After that, Thursday the 30th is still nice: 4 ft SW, offshore wind, clean conditions. A bit smaller but still a fun session. Friday the 31st has a weird long-period 20-second swell at only 2 ft, so it might get a bit straight on the reef. The morning will be clean, but the afternoon picks up to 5 ft from SW with a 19-second period. That’s long-period groundswell, so it’ll have serious push and long lulls.

Looking further out—Saturday, August 1st gets interesting. The morning has a 7 ft SW swell (16-second period, clean offshore conditions) at a strong energy of 2863. By afternoon though, it’s jumping to a solid 10 ft SW at 16 seconds, with a combined energy of 6944. That’s very strong, and with a light cross-onshore, it’ll be big and a bit bumpy. That’s expert territory for sure. Sunday, August 2nd afternoon is pure magic: glassy conditions, 6 ft SW at 15 seconds, energy at 2285—clean, powerful reef waves with no wind. That is as good as it gets for a Sunday session.

Into the second week, Monday August 3rd morning has a 8 ft SW at 18 seconds (very long period) with clean offshore winds and energy at 3594. That’s a lot of power. The reef will handle it, but that’s for the experienced crew. Things then fade through the end of the forecast window, with small swells and unreliable winds. Thursday August 6th afternoon picks up again to 7 ft SW at 15 seconds, but it’s cross-on and choppy. By Friday the 7th, onshore wind ruins a strong 6 ft SW at 20 seconds. Kite surfers might want to have a look at that setup.

So to sum it up: Wednesday July 29th morning is the top pick for clean, quality surf. Then Sunday August 2nd afternoon is your glassy, powerful reward. After that, the first week of August has some big, serious groundswell for experts.

Stay frothy,
Rusty

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