13th Ave South Surfside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead for 13th Ave South Surfside. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a write-off, honestly. The forecast is just a long run of poor surf conditions, with hardly a moment that gets the blood pumping. We’re looking at nearly two weeks of tiny, short-period slop and a lot of cross-onshore junk. There’s a long gap here with absolutely nothing worth paddling out for, so don’t hold your breath.

The first few days, from Tuesday the 21st through to the end of the month, are all “poor surf conditions.” The energy is weak, barely cracking 50 or 60 in the combined swell energy, and the swell height is mostly under 3 ft with periods around 5 to 7 seconds – that’s just wind chop, not real surf. The wind is a constant problem too, mostly cross-onshore or cross, and at times it’s a fresh breeze, making everything lumpy and choppy.

The water temperature is sitting at 85°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a degree and a half above average, so it’s a bit of a bath out there, but that’s about the only pleasant thing.

Now, if you’re desperate, there’s a couple of mornings that look *clean* but tiny. The morning of Saturday the 25th has a light cross-offshore breeze and clean conditions, but the swell is only 1 ft from the SE with a weak 8-second period, combined energy of just 21. That’s a knee-high dribbler at best. The morning of Sunday the 26th is even smaller, 1.0 ft, clean but with only 16 in combined energy. You’d be floating around on a lake.

The one moment that might get your attention is the morning of Wednesday the 29th of July. We finally see a pulse of energy with a combined swell energy of 291, and a 5 ft swell from the S with a 7-second period. That’s the biggest swell of the whole run, but the period is still short, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. The wind is a moderate cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean. Still, it’s only rated as marginal, and with the swell just over 5 ft, it’s starting to get a bit much for beginners. It’s the only standout, but it’s not a great one.

Then it’s back to the doldrums. The mornings of the 30th and 31st of July are clean and glassy, but the swell is tiny, around 2 ft to 3 ft. The morning of the 30th has a 3 ft swell from the S with a 6-second period, but it’s cross-onshore again. Nothing to get excited about.

The second week, from the 1st of August onwards, is more of the same: tiny, weak, and mostly messy. The morning of Sunday the 2nd of August has glassy conditions with a 1 ft swell from the SE, but it’s basically flat. The 4th of August has a bit of a bump in energy, hitting 102 combined energy with a 3 ft SSE swell, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy.

The best of a bad bunch – and I mean the only one that’s even worth mentioning – is the morning of Wednesday the 29th of July. It’s the biggest clean swell of the window, but it’s a short-period south swell, so don’t expect any world-class barrels. If you’re an expert looking for a paddle, that’s your one shot. Everyone else, look at the forecast and come back in a few weeks.

Rusty.

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