The Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up at The Pines. The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year, so nothing wild there.

The action kicks off on Tuesday, July 14th, but it’s a bit of a raw deal to start. We’ve got a solid 13ft swell from the SSW, with a deep 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy (7153). But the wind is messy, cross-off or cross, and it’s looking marginal. Honestly, for the first couple of days, it’s not really calling my name. The swell is way too big for a beginner, and with the conditions, it’s just a lot of energy without much finesse.

Things start to shape up nicely from Wednesday, July 15th, though. Wednesday morning sees the swell drop to a still-chunky 8ft from the SSW, but the wind goes clean offshore from the WNW. That’s a big tick. The energy is still strong (2570), and the period is a very respectable 14 seconds. This is the start of a good run.

The standout period is Thursday, July 16th, through the end of the week. Thursday morning is clean with a cross-off breeze, and the swell sits at 8ft. But Thursday afternoon? That’s the pick of the bunch. The wind goes glassy, dead calm, and the swell is a clean 8ft from the SSW with a 16-second period and moderate energy (2751). It’s going to be clean, punchy, and lined up. Friday follows the same script with glassy afternoons and 7ft waves. The Pines is a very sheltered reef that rarely breaks, so to see it this clean and consistent is a real treat. Just keep in mind, the crowd factor is “often”, so expect some company.

Over the weekend (July 18th-19th), the swell drops off hard. You’re looking at 4ft on Saturday and barely 2ft on Sunday. The wind is okay, but there’s just not enough push to get excited about. The energy drops into the low hundreds (569). It’s a lull, plain and simple.

We get a bit of a pulse again on Monday, July 20th, with a 5ft to 6ft SSW swell and clean offshore NW winds. The energy is back up to a moderate 1158. It’s a solid session, but not a standout.

Then, from Tuesday, July 21st, through the end of the forecast, it gets messy. The wind turns onshore or cross-shore, and the quality tanks. There’s a blip on Thursday, July 23rd afternoon with a 6ft SSW swell and clean offshore wind, and another on Friday, July 24th with a 8ft swell and moderate offshore wind, but it’s surrounded by rain and poor conditions. The final few days from July 25th onward are a write-off with onshore winds and choppy seas.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute best on offer is Thursday afternoon, July 16th, and Friday afternoon, July 17th. Glassy conditions, clean 7ft to 8ft SSW groundswell. Get in the water. The Thursday afternoon before that is also a strong shout. The rest of the window is either too small, too windy, or too messy to get excited about.

Rusty.

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