The Wharf Lefts Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a quiet start. The first few days are a write-off for any decent waves, so you’re not missing much if you leave the boards in the car. The first real glimmer of something rideable pops up around Monday, 20 July.

The Wharf Lefts is the only game in town. This is a reef setup, fairly consistent, and it’s exposed to the south swell. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.

Monday, 20 July, things start to look a little more interesting. Swell bumps up to 2ft to 3ft from the south, with a period of 16 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (309 to 386), and while the conditions are described as marginal, the wind is cross-off from the ENE at 12 mph, keeping things clean. It’s a start, but still small.

Tuesday, 21 July, is a bit more of the same: 3ft south swell, 14-second period, combined energy still moderate (408 to 372). Wind is still cross-off, but the surf is still marginal. Not a standout, but probably the best of a pretty flat run.

Now, here’s the interesting bit. From Wednesday, 22 July, through to Sunday, 27 July, the swell size stays small – 2ft to 4ft – but the period gets really long. We’re looking at 20 to 24 seconds on some of those days, which is a very long period groundswell. The combined energy jumps into the strong range (500 to 854). That’s a lot of energy for such a small wave height. The catch? Those long-period swells are prone to closing out a beach break, but The Wharf Lefts is a reef, so it should handle that direction better. The wind stays cross-off, so the surface will be clean.

The absolute best on offer is Thursday, 23 July, afternoon. The swell is 2ft from the SSW with a 20-second period, combined energy of 503, and it’s the only session that scores a 2 out of 10. The wind is moderate cross-off, and the reef will be linking up those long lines. It’s not big, but it’ll be clean and lined up. That’s the one to aim for.

After that, the surf drops back into the poor category. Saturday, 25 July, and Sunday, 26 July, have a little more size (3ft to 4ft) but still only marginal ratings. The rest of the week into early August fades away to nothing, with combined energy dropping below 200 and even down to 75. You’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board and waiting for a better pattern.

So, overall: a long, quiet first week, then a small window of clean, long-period groundswell on the reef around Wednesday to Sunday, 22-26 July. The standout is Thursday afternoon, 23 July, for the cleanest, most lined-up waves. After that, it’s back to the flat spell.

Rusty.

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