The Wedge Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for The Wedge over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, the first week is a bit of a grind. We’ve got swell, sure, but the conditions are a real mess for most of it. The Wedge (Newport Beach) has a SSW groundswell at about 3ft early on the morning of Wednesday the 8th, with a long 16-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 666. That’s decent energy, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, which kills the quality. The afternoon gets worse – wind picks up, and the ratings tank. From Thursday morning through to Monday the 14th, expect onshore wind and chop. The swell hangs around in the 3ft to 3ft range, period dropping from 16s to 12s, but every session is either poor or marginal. The energy drops off from moderate to weak (185-355 range). This is a stretch where you’d be better off doing something else. There’s a three-day gap here where the surf is basically unrideable for a good session.

Now, let’s jump to the second week. Things start looking up, but it’s not a straight line. The morning of Friday the 17th offers a brief moment: clean conditions, a glassy cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is tiny at about 1ft with a very long 19-second period. Energy is weak at 208. That’s not really surfable for most. Then Saturday the 18th is chopped again.

The standout arrives on the morning of Sunday, July 19th. This is the one. The Wedge will have about 2ft of clean, lined-up SW groundswell at a long 17 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 406. The wind goes glassy – absolutely dead calm. That’s a magic window for a peaky wave. Conditions will be clean and smooth. The break is fairly consistent, but crowds are “often” here, so expect a few others to have the same idea. This is a real chance to get some fun ones before the crowds build. Later that afternoon the wind turns light cross-onshore and the quality drops.

Monday the 20th morning has a bigger pulse of about 3ft S swell, period at 12 seconds, with moderate energy (616), but the wind is cross-shore. It’s surfable but not the silky clean stuff from Sunday. For the rest of the period into the 23rd, the swell stays in the 2-3ft range with mostly cross-shore winds and weak to moderate energy. Nothing else really jumps out as a can’t-miss.

Look, the water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild. For the first week, the onshores ruin everything. Your best bet is that glassy Sunday morning the 19th – that’s the true bright spot. After that, a few days of ordinary but maybe rideable waves. The long gaps between sets from the long-period swell mean the paddle out will be easier, but the sets themselves won’t be big.

Stay patient. The good window is there, but it’s short.

Rusty.

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