The Patch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

We’ve got a solid run of surf kicking off on Thursday the 30th of July, with a decent West-Northwest swell pushing through. The energy is strong early on, with a combined swell energy reading of 1261, so there’s plenty of grunt in the water. The wind is cross-offshore, which is a good sign for clean faces, but the swell is running at 7ft with a short period of 8 seconds. That’s a bit of a wonky, short-interval swell – it’ll be lumpy and a bit of a handful. The wave comment says it’s excellent for experienced surfers, and I’d agree. The Patch is an exposed spot, so it’ll be taking the full brunt. Thursday afternoon drops off a bit in energy (726) and the wind picks up to a moderate breeze, making it marginal.

Friday morning the 31st is a better bet for the average punter. The swell drops to 5ft, still from the WNW, and the wind is a light breeze, cross-off. The energy is moderate (587), and the wave comment is positive. It’s a morning session, so get in early. The afternoon gets messy again with stronger wind.

Now, the standout window is Saturday the 1st of August. The morning brings a 7ft swell from the NW, with a combined energy of 1111. The wind is a gentle cross-off, and the wave comment flags it as excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a big, powerful swell for the spot, and the direction is a touch more north, which can be a sweet angle here. It’s a solid, punchy wave, but at 7ft it’s going to be too much for beginners. The afternoon gets a bit windy and bumpy, but that morning session is the pick of the whole outlook.

Sunday morning the 2nd of August is also lovely – 6ft, period stretches to 9 seconds, and light cross-off winds. The energy is 738, and it’s a very good call. The swell period is starting to lengthen, which means better-shaped, more powerful waves.

From Monday the 3rd onwards, things get a bit mixed. The wind swings around to the south and becomes onshore, which junked up the quality. The swell drops below 5ft, and through the middle of the week the energy fades to the 200-400 range, with poor wave comments. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

There’s a long gap with nothing great from the 4th of August right through to the 9th of August. The swell dips to under 3ft and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore. It’s a real lull. The Patch is fairly consistent, so this dry spell is a bit of a bummer, but it happens.

The surf picks back up on Sunday the 9th of August, with a 4ft swell from the WNW, period of 10 seconds, and clean cross-off winds. The energy is back up to 550. It’s a marginal call in the afternoon, but the morning could be a sneaky little session.

Monday the 10th of August is another solid morning. 5ft from the WNW, 10-second period, light cross-off breeze, and a combined energy of 615. The wave comment is “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s a nice, clean, chest-high wave with some push. After that, the swell holds a bit into Tuesday, but it’s smaller and the wind starts to cross up.

The very end of the outlook, from the 12th of August onward, drops into a long-period, small swell – 2ft to 3ft, with periods of 15-18 seconds. That’s a groundswell, but it’s tiny. It’ll be super clean with light winds, but you’ll be waiting for a long time between sets. Not really worth paddling out for unless you’ve got a log.

The pick: Saturday the 1st of August, first thing. That 7ft NW swell, clean cross-off wind, and strong energy (1111) is the best wave on offer. It’s a punchy, expert-level session. The second best is Monday the 10th of August morning – smaller, but cleaner and more user-friendly. Sunday the 2nd of August morning is also a beauty.

Crowds at The Patch are “sometimes,” so on a Saturday morning with that kind of swell, expect a few locals out, but it won’t be a zoo.

Stay stoked.

Rusty.

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