The Well Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

We’re looking at a classic run at The Well. There’s a big gap to start with – no surf worth paddling out for until well into the end of the first week. The early part of the window is dominated by a big, powerful, but messy swell. The conditions are blown out with cross-onshore winds, so don’t bother checking it until things start to clean up. The real action kicks off later.

The first proper chance comes on Sunday the 16th. The swell drops to about 10ft from the SW, with a long period of 14 seconds. The wind is light and cross-offshore, and the report says clean. This is a solid, powerful groundswell but it’s still big enough to be for experienced surfers only. The combined energy is still very strong (3208). It’s a decent start.

Monday the 17th offers a similar story – clean, light cross-offshore winds, and a slightly smaller 8ft to 8ft swell from the SW with a period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is still strong (2749). The waves will have good shape, but the long period means it’ll be a bit straight at this reef break, so pick your line.

The standout window, and the one I’m getting excited about, is Tuesday the 18th. The wind swings to a clean offshore from the NNE, and the swell is a manageable 6ft to 6ft from the SW. The period is a very long 16 seconds, and the conditions are reported as excellent for experienced surfers, with a clean surface. The energy is moderate but quality is high (1687). This is the best of the first week.

After that, the swell drops off a cliff for a few days, with clean but small waves from Wednesday the 19th through to Friday the 21st. The energy drops to weak (around 470–632). That section is strictly for the longboard or a rest day.

The second week starts to look promising again. Saturday the 22nd has a building 8ft swell from the WSW, but it gets hammered by a strong onshore gale in the afternoon. Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th are just big and messy again – 15ft to 16ft of WSW swell with strong cross-onshore winds. That’s a kiteboarding session, not a paddle session.

The true big swell for the experts comes at the end of the window. On Tuesday the 25th, the swell is a massive 16ft to 18ft from the WSW. The winds are light and onshore, but the conditions are questionable. Hold on to your hat.

The absolute best of the run is Wednesday the 26th. The swell is still a solid 15ft to 16ft from the SW, but the wind turns divine. In the morning, it’s a gentle offshore from the NNE, and by the afternoon, it goes dead flat calm – glassy. For a reef break, this is as good as it gets. The period is 14 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell with loads of energy (9865 to 7823). This is for experts only, no question. The water is about average for the time of year, sitting around 57°F.

The tail end of the run on the 27th sees the swell easing back to a more manageable 7ft to 8ft with light, clean winds, finishing the run on a good note.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Tuesday the 18th for a solid, clean, and slightly smaller session, and Wednesday the 26th for the big, glassy, epic expert day. The Well is a reef, so it’s advanced-only, and it does get crowded sometimes, so don’t sleep in on those clean days.

Rusty.

Read more