The Peak Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at The Peak are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing doing, and the real action doesn’t kick off until late in the game.

Looking at the whole 16-day window, the first week and a half is a write-off. From Monday the 13th right through to Friday the 24th, every single session is tagged as “poor surf conditions.” The waves are tiny, the energy is weak, and the wind is all over the place – mostly cross-off or cross-on, but never really lining up. The water temp is sitting at 62°, which is a whopping 5° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, but it won’t fix the lack of swell. There’s a gap of about 12 days with no real surf to speak of, so don’t bother checking until the end of the month.

The first hint of anything surfable pops up on Saturday the 25th. The morning will see some 3ft swell from the west, with a period of 8 seconds and a combined energy of 137 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-off from the east at 6 mph, keeping things clean. But these are just “surfable waves with very ordinary conditions” – a score of 1 out of 10 tells you it’s not a standout. Sunday the 26th gets a fresh offshore breeze from the ESE at 19 mph, with 2ft swell from the WNW, but the energy is weak at 89. It’s clean, but tiny.

The only real standout in the whole outlook is Monday the 27th of July. The morning brings a 3ft swell from the WNW, with a period of 9 seconds, and a combined energy of 108 (moderate). The wind is a gentle offshore from the SE at 9 mph, making for clean, glassy conditions. The afternoon picks up a bit, with 3ft from the same direction and energy jumping to 144. It’s still “surfable waves but very ordinary,” but given how bad everything else is, this is the pick of the bunch. The Peak (reef) is exposed to west swell, and the optimum direction is west, so it’s matching up okay. Expect crowds sometimes. It’s not a classic, but it’s the only time you’ll get a half-decent wave.

The week after that, Tuesday the 28th, gets a bit more size – 3ft to 4ft from the west, with energy in the 155-156 range – but the wind swings to a cross-on from the west, and the rain showers kick in, making things choppy and messy. Not worth the drive.

So, bottom line: save your energy for Monday the 27th. The rest of the window is a bust. The Peak is a reef, so it can handle a bit of size, but this is just a flat spell with a tiny window of mediocrity. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a long wait for very little reward.

Rusty.

Read more