The Wharf Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight: The Wharf is in for a really rough patch. Most of the next two and a half weeks are a write-off for decent surfing. We are looking at strong winds, messy cross-onshore conditions, and short-period, lumpy junk for days on end. There’s a solid gap from now all the way through to Tuesday the 21st of July, with nothing worth paddling out for. Wednesday the 22nd of July shows a brief, clean window, but the swell is tiny. After that, it drops away again.

The one true standout in this whole forecast lands on Tuesday the 21st of July. Early morning at The Wharf we get a light offshore breeze from the southwest at just 6 mph, with glassy conditions. The swell is a clean 4 ft from the SSE, swinging through a long 12-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy, moderate wave energy (533), and combined with the offshore wind, it’ll produce clean, lined-up waves. This is the best on offer by a long shot. The Wharf is a reef break, so that long-period groundswell should wrap in nicely. It’s consistent here, and crowds are possible but for a Tuesday morning, you might get a few sets to yourself.

Wednesday the 22nd of July morning also looks promising, with glassy conditions and a light SSE breeze at just 3 mph. Swell drops to 3 ft from the SSE, period 11 seconds, energy low (283). It’s small, but clean. For a longboard or a funboard, it could be a laugh, but don’t expect much punch.

Now, keep in mind the water temperature at The Wharf is sitting at 82°, which is about average for this time of year — no surprises there.

From Wednesday afternoon onward, it goes back to being flat or blown out. By late July, that big SE swell on the 18th hits 7 ft but with strong onshore winds, making it a mess — definitely not for beginners. Over 8 ft, it’s expert territory, but the quality is shot here anyway.

To be honest, for most of this period, the set-up is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially those days with strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy, short-period chop.

So, bottom line: if you can wait until Tuesday the 21st, you might score a session. Otherwise, this is a blank run for the area, and that’s pretty normal for The Wharf during these conditions.

Stay patient, take the tiny clean window if you can.

Rusty.

Read more