The Wedge Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days at The Wedge are a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, nothing is screaming “drop everything and go.” The surf is mostly marginal, with a lot of cross-onshore flow keeping things messy. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

The pattern starts off pretty weak. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th have small SW swell around 2 feet to 3 feet, but the wind is cross-on from the SSW and SW, making it choppy and poor. The combined energy is weak to moderate (299 to 642), and the period is long, but the wave quality is just not there. It’s a write-off. Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st see a slight bump to 4 feet from the SSW, but the wind is still cross-on or cross, and the wave comment is still “marginal.” The energy picks up a bit (407 to 703), but it’s still not clean.

Wednesday the 22nd gets worse – the wind swings to the W at 15 mph in the afternoon, creating a proper cross-chop on that 3-foot swell. Not good. Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th have a bit more energy (437 to 988), but it’s all cross-on or onshore wind, so the waves are still messy. The combined energy on Friday morning hits 988, which is moderate, but the wind is onshore from the S, so it’s just not worth it.

Now, the standout window starts to shape up from Saturday the 25th through to Tuesday the 29th. The swell builds to a consistent 4 feet from the SSW, with a solid period of 13 to 19 seconds. The combined energy jumps into the strong range (1022 to 1363), so there’s proper power behind it. The wind is mostly light and cross-on or onshore from the S and SSW, which is a bit of a letdown, but it’s lighter than the previous week. The best morning sessions will be on Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th, where the wind is light at 6 mph, and the energy is strong (1022 to 1232). The Wedge is a breakwater, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely, but with the wind being cross-on, it won’t be glassy. It’s still the best on offer, but it’s not a classic.

After that, Wednesday the 30th and Thursday the 31st see the swell dropping back to 4 to 4 feet, with energy fading to moderate (621 to 530). The wind goes lighter and more cross-shore, so it cleans up a bit, but the power is gone. Then Friday the 1st of August and Sunday the 2nd of August drop right off – 2 feet to 3 feet, poor quality, and hardly any energy left (206 to 247). It’s back to flat and messy.

So, the pick of the period is the 26th to the 28th of July. The swell is 4 feet from the SSW, with a very long period of 17 to 19 seconds, meaning proper groundswell with energy in the 1000+ range. The wind is light, so it’s rideable, but it’s cross-on, so don’t expect perfection. The Wedge is a difficult, advanced break, and with crowds listed as “often,” you’ll have company. That long period also means the waves will be peaky and powerful – best for experienced surfers only, as anything over 4 feet here is already demanding. Beginners should stay away.

Overall, a bit of a patience test, but the end of July has a few half-decent windows.

Rusty

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