The Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. It’s been a bit quiet lately, but there’s some solid action brewing on the horizon for The Pines. This reef break is a rare gem and only breaks under the right conditions, so when it fires, it’s a special deal. The water’s sitting at 58°F at the start, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year—nothing to worry about there.

The pattern starts off with a bit of a slow burn. Saturday afternoon (18 July) has glassy conditions with a 4ft SW swell, period 13 seconds, and the energy is moderate (402). It’s surfable, but the waves are just ordinary. Sunday (19 July) stays small with a 3ft to 2ft SSW swell, but the wind turns light offshore, cleaning things up. Still, it’s not much to write home about. Monday (20 July) sees the swell holding around 4ft from the SW with a longer period of 15-16 seconds, and the energy climbs to strong (607). The offshore wind keeps it clean, but the waves are just okay.

Now, Tuesday (21 July) is where it starts to get interesting. The morning brings a 5ft SW swell, 13-second period, and the energy is solid (854). With light offshore wind, the conditions are clean and the surf is good. This is a real standout for the first week—clean, punchy waves at a reef that loves a SW swell. The 5ft size is a sweet spot for intermediate and above. The afternoon drops a bit to 5ft, but still good.

Wednesday (22 July) gets a bit rough. The swell jumps to 6ft in the morning with a cross-off wind, but by the afternoon it’s 8ft and cross-shore, making for a choppy mess. Not recommended. Thursday (23 July) is even bigger—10ft SSW swell, but the wind is cross to cross-onshore, and the energy is very strong (3662 and 2930). The surf is poor, with a messy cross-chop. This is getting into expert territory, but the wind is a letdown.

Friday (24 July) is a proper standout. The morning sees a 8ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and the energy is very strong (2374). The wind is light cross-off, delivering clean, powerful waves. This is the best of the bunch—good size, long period groundswell, and clean conditions. The 8ft is a bit much for beginners, but for experienced surfers, it’s a cracker. Saturday (25 July) keeps the run going with 7ft to 7ft SSW swell, cross-off and offshore winds, and good surf. Another solid day.

The second week has a few promising moments, but the confidence is lower. Sunday (26 July) drops to 5ft, and the wind is offshore, but the surf is just ordinary. Monday (27 July) is a write-off with strong winds up to 25 mph, making it a kite-surfing day more than a paddle session. Tuesday (28 July) looks huge—10ft to 12ft SSW swell, very long period of 16 seconds, and the energy is off the charts (4753 and 5766). The wind is clean cross-off, but the size is only for experts. Wednesday (29 July) is still big at 8ft, but the wind is more favourable, with good surf returning in the afternoon. Thursday (30 July) is clean and 7ft, good for a session. After that, the wind turns onshore and the surf goes to crap from Friday (31 July) through to Sunday (2 August). The last day (2 August) shows a massive 15ft SW swell with 16-second period and energy over 10,000, but cross-onshore wind kills it—maybe one for the tow crew.

So, the standouts are Tuesday (21 July) morning for the clean, fun-sized swell, and Friday (24 July) morning for the bigger, longer-period groundswell with clean conditions. The rest is a mixed bag. Keep an eye on that Tuesday and Friday—they’re the ones to circle.

Rusty.

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