The Maze (Tiree) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right folks, Rusty here. Let me be straight with you – we’ve got a bit of a dry spell ahead. The surf’s gonna be pretty ordinary for a long stretch, so don't be holding your breath for anything special in the near term. The good news, if you can call it that, is that the water temperature at The Maze is sitting at 56°, which is only about 0.2° off from what’s normal for the time of year – so no weird chills to complain about there.

Right now, on Wednesday the 8th of July, we’re looking at waist-high 5ft swell from the west with a middling 9-second period, but that 15 km/h cross-shore wind from the SSW is just messing it all up. It’s got that cross-chop, looks sloppy, and the combined energy is only 306 (moderate energy). Honestly, the whole first week is basically a write-off. Through Thursday and Friday the swell hangs around that waist-high mark, but the wind stays cross or cross-onshore, and it's just not clean. You’ll be fighting a cross-chop all session.

Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th get worse – the swell drops. Sunday morning does show a tiny window of clean conditions with a light 5 km/h ESE cross-off breeze, but the swell is down to 2ft with a combined energy of just 48 (weak energy). That’s barely a ripple.

We then go into a long gap of poor quality. From Monday 13th right through to Sunday 19th July, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. The swell stays small and weak, mostly under 3ft, and the wind is too messy or cross-shore. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Now, for the one stand-out in this whole outlook. Keep an eye on Tuesday 14th of July. It’s not a big swell – 3ft from the west-northwest – but the period jumps to 11 seconds, which gives it a bit more grunt and shape. The wind goes light and cross-off, so the surface will be clean. Combined energy is 165 (moderate energy). It’s surfable waves with ordinary conditions, sure, but in this stretch, that's the best we’ve got. It’s a beach and point setup, exposed to the west, and crowds are sometimes there, so you might have a few friends out. A long-period swell like this can break a bit straight at the beach, so stick to the point section if you can.

Looking further out, around Monday 20th of July, we see a bit of a bump – 4ft to 4ft from the west-northwest, with periods around 9 to 10 seconds. Combined energy hits 309 (moderate energy). But here’s the catch: the wind is a fresh cross or cross-onshore (30 km/h), making it lumpy and choppy. For the average surfer, this is not going to be pretty. It might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. After that, the wind stays ugly through the 23rd, with onshore winds and rain, so we’re back to poor conditions.

Bottom line: If you’ve got to get wet, the morning of Tuesday 14th July is your best shot for a clean, if small, wave. Don’t kid yourself into thinking any other day is worth it until maybe the 20th, but even then, the wind doesn’t cooperate. Typical Tiree, sometimes it just goes quiet.

Rusty.

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