Tolcarne Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

To be honest, it’s a pretty grim stretch for Tolcarne. The pattern is almost completely flat with only a few tiny pulses of energy that don’t add up to much. The water’s sitting at 65°—a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a small consolation if you’re just having a paddle, but for surfing? There’s nothing worth getting excited about for over a week.

We start off Wednesday the 29th of July with a weak 2ft swell from the west, period a limp 8 seconds and combined energy a paltry 50. The wind is a messy cross-shore, and the afternoon gets worse with a cross-on breeze making things choppy. Thursday and Friday continue the same sad story—tiny 2ft to 3ft west-northwest swell, short period, and a moderate onshore wind that kills any chance of a clean wave. The weekend isn’t any better: Saturday the 1st of August has a 2ft west swell with a 9-second period, but the wind is onshore again. Sunday morning actually goes glassy with a light easterly, but the swell is down to 2ft and the energy is only 37—barely a ripple.

The first half of the following week is more of the same: Monday through Wednesday morning offer tiny swell, mostly under 2ft, with periods all over the place and winds that are either onshore or cross. The only glimmer comes on Tuesday the 4th of August morning when the wind turns glassy, but the swell is a weak 3ft from the north with a short 5-second period, and the combined energy is still just 78—it’s not enough to push a proper wave.

Honestly, there’s a blank run of about nine days here with no real surf. The best we get is a little pulse on Saturday the 8th of August morning: a 3ft west-southwest swell, period 8 seconds, combined energy 84, and a light cross-offshore breeze giving clean conditions. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon sees the wind swing cross and the energy bump to 109, but it gets choppy. By the time we get to the second week, the swell stays tiny and the wind is mostly fresh and onshore, so it’s not worth holding out hope.

If you’re desperate for a paddle, the glassy morning on Tuesday the 4th is your best bet, but it’s not a surf day. For the rest of the window, the setup is more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer—there’s simply not enough push, and the winds are too onshore to make it work. The good news is that Tolcarne is fairly consistent as a spot, so it tends not to stay this flat for long—forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board at home.

Rusty

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