The Left Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, fair dinkum, the outlook for The Left is a bit of a mixed bag to be honest. We've got a solid run of nothing much for a while, then a few days where things might get interesting, but you've got to wade through some average conditions to get there. The first real call in the water is on Tuesday the 14th, so there's a bit of a wait from now.

The early part of the week is a write-off. Monday the 13th is tiny with a 2ft WNW swell, and the wind is a cross-off, but it's just not doing anything. The combined energy is weak at 52, so you're not missing a thing.

We get our first real sniff on Tuesday morning, July 14th. The swell picks up to a clean 3ft from the WNW, with a period of 10 seconds. The wind is a light ESE cross-off, and the energy jumps to a moderate 246. The score says "expect good surf conditions". It's not huge, but it's the first real chance to get a wave. The afternoon sees a similar 3.3ft swell from the W, but the tide or something else is making it marginal, so I'd be sticking to the morning session.

The rest of that week turns into a bit of a cruel joke. Wednesday through Sunday, the swell is small and the wind is a mess. We get a lot of cross-on and cross-shore breezes, mainly from the NW, which just chops everything up. It's all "poor surf conditions" across the board, with energy readings staying low to moderate. The swell is there, but the wind is just ruining it. The Left is a point break, so it needs a clean line to work, and it's just not getting it.

Then we hit a real stormy spell. Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st see the swell jump up. We're looking at 6.9ft on Monday afternoon and 7.5ft on Tuesday morning from the W, with the combined energy hitting 835 and 1002 (strong to very strong). But the wind is screaming from the W at 22-25 mph, a cross-shore mess. This is not paddle surfing. At 8.2ft on Tuesday afternoon, it's only for experts anyway, but with that wind, the setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The light at the end of the tunnel comes on Wednesday the 22nd. The swell is still a solid 6.6ft from the WNW, but the wind drops right back to a WSW cross-off at 12 mph. The energy is still strong at 613, and the wave state is clean. The score says "marginal surf forecast", but this is the best looking swell of the whole run. For an experienced surfer, this is the standout. The Left will handle that size, but it's a big wave, so it's not for the faint-hearted.

The end of the week cleans up again, but the swell drops. Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th have cleaner cross-off winds, but the swell is down to 3.3ft to 3.6ft. It's surfable, but nothing to get excited about.

We get another glassy morning on Saturday the 25th. The swell is 3.9ft from the W, with an 8-second period, and the wind is glassy. The energy is moderate at 210, and the score says "expect good surf conditions". The wind is a WSW 3 mph, so it's going to be a sheet of glass. This is a lovely, clean option, but the swell is a bit on the smaller side.

The final few days of the run are a mixed bag. Sunday the 26th is a little lumpy, but Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th see clean cross-off winds from the SSE, with a 3.3ft swell from the W. The energy is moderate, and the waves are clean. It's not the biggest, but it's a much better way to finish.

So, the standout for the whole run is Wednesday the 22nd of July. That 6.6ft WNW swell with the clean cross-off wind is the best quality swell on offer. It's a big wave, but it's the one to chase. The backup is the glassy morning on Saturday the 25th, or the clean mornings on the 27th and 28th for a smaller, cruisy session.

Stay safe out there.

Read more