The Patch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for The Patch.

Honestly, for the first week or so, it’s a bit of a grind. We’ve got a long stretch of marginal surf from Thursday the 23rd of July right through to the end of the month. The swell is there, but it’s small and the wind is mostly a cross-offshore breeze from the WNW, which keeps things clean but the energy is just not there. The combined swell energy is moderate, sitting between 343 and 1200, but the wave heights are mostly under 3ft. It’s the kind of stuff that’ll get you out on a longboard, but it’s not going to fire. The water temp is 59°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a little bonus.

Now, the standout in this whole run is shaping up for Thursday the 30th of July. We’ve got a jump in swell height to 7ft from the NW, with a short period of 9 seconds. The combined energy hits 1494, putting it in the strong range. The wind is light from the W at 3 mph, keeping it glassy. That’s a clean, punchy wave for the morning. The patch is a beginner spot, and 7ft is getting big for that crowd. It’s more of an expert playground at that size. The short period means it’ll be a bit fat and dumpy, but that light wind will make it rideable. The crowd situation is listed as "sometimes", so you might have a few mates out, but it won’t be a circus.

After that, the swell backs off a bit but stays rideable through the weekend. On Saturday the 1st of August, we get a nice clean morning with 3ft from the SSW and a 14-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, and combined with a light WNW breeze, it’ll be clean and lined up. The energy is moderate at 594, but that long period will give you some nice, walled-up waves. It’s a good one for the intermediate surfer.

Now, the second week gets a bit messy. From Sunday the 2nd of August through to the 7th, we see more wind-affected conditions. The swell is bigger, reaching 8ft, but it’s mostly from the NW with a short period of 8-9 seconds and onshore or cross-onshore winds. That’s going to be choppy and blown out. The combined energy is strong, topping out at 1611 on the 2nd, but with the wind coming from the SW and S, it’s going to be a mess. The patch is a beach break, so with that size and wind, it’s going to look more interesting for the kite surfers than for paddle surfing. The morning of the 5th of August has 5ft from the WNW with a 7-second period, but the wind is onshore from the SSW, so it’s going to be a write-off.

Overall, the best bet is Thursday the 30th of July in the morning, and then Saturday the 1st of August for a cleaner, longer period session. The rest of the fortnight is a bit of a gamble, with more wind than wave.

Rusty.

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