Thompsons Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's cookin' in the water.

Alright folks, it's a bit of a tough stretch ahead for Thompsons Bay. We're looking at a solid 16-day window, but honestly, the first week and a half is mostly a write-off. The swell is around, but the wind just won't play ball. We've got a long run from the 21st of July right through to the end of the month where the conditions are just messy. It's a lot of cross-shore and cross-onshore wind, anywhere from 9 to 25 mph, and that's just chopping everything up. The water temp is sitting at about 73°F with a water temperature anomaly of 2°F, which is pretty average for this time of year.

Even when there's some decent energy in the water, like on the 24th of July – we've got 10ft of swell coming from the south, but it's getting hammered by a fresh breeze, 22 mph onshore wind. That's not surf, that's a washing machine. The combined swell energy is strong (1711), but you'll spend the whole time trying to paddle through the chop. Not worth it. That setup on the 24th looks more like it'd be a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day, to be honest.

Now, after the first week of August, the picture starts to get a bit more interesting. The best bet, and the only real standout in this whole forecast, is the morning of Saturday, the 1st of August. We've got a clean 5ft swell from the SSW, with a long period of 17 seconds – that's proper groundswell, you'll feel the energy. The wind is a light to moderate NNE breeze, coming cross-offshore (1397). That's a clean look, fellas. It's not huge, but with that period and clean wind, it'll be the best wave quality we see. Just know that it's a fairly consistent spot, so there will be waves, and the crowds are listed as "sometimes," so you'll probably have some company.

That Friday the 31st of July and Monday the 3rd of August also see some bumps, but the wind is still cross-onshore, just lighter. There's potential there, especially on the 3rd with an 8ft swell from the East and a light 6 mph breeze, but the cross-onshore angle means it won't be as clean as that Saturday morning. That 8ft is getting into expert territory anyway. By the 5th of August, the wind swings back cross-shore and the swell holds at 7ft from the East with an 11-second period. It's marginal, but could be worth a check if you're desperate.

So, bottom line: suffer through the first ten days of messy onshore junk, then set your alarm for Saturday morning, 1st of August. That's your window.

- Rusty

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