Tubes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Looks like we’ve got a solid run of swell coming through at Tubes, with a real standout window that’ll have the locals buzzing. Water temps are sitting about average for this time of year, so no weirdness there.

The first decent surf shows up on Saturday the 18th of July. It’s a modest start with a 4ft S swell at 11 seconds, and the wind is a light cross-off from the west. It’s clean, but not firing. The combined energy is moderate at 715. By the afternoon, it picks up to a 5ft SW swell with a clean offshore breeze – that’s the better part of the day.

Sunday the 19th starts off clean again with a 5ft SW swell, light offshore wind, and moderate energy (836). But the afternoon turns gnarly: the wind howls up to 25 mph from the WSW, the swell jumps to 8ft, and the period drops to 8 seconds – it’s a messy, blown-out mess. Strong breeze and cross-off conditions; the energy is strong at 1164, but it’s not for paddling.

Now Monday the 20th of July is where it gets interesting. The morning is glassy – no wind at all – with an 8ft SW groundswell at 11 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 1788, and the wave comment says “very good.” That’s a standout morning for intermediate to advanced surfers. The afternoon stays clean but the wind shifts cross-shore, so it’s not as perfect.

Tuesday the 21st is another beauty. The morning is glassy again, with a 6ft SSW groundswell and a very long 15-second period. That long period will make it peel better off the reef and point at Tubes, with clean, glassy conditions. Energy is strong at 1452. The afternoon holds a 7ft SSW swell, offshore wind, and very good conditions. Wednesday the 22nd keeps the run going: glassy mornings, 7ft SW swell, 13-second period, and strong energy (1672). Thursday the 23rd has a 10ft SW swell, light cross-off wind, and strong energy – still very good, but the size is pushing into expert territory by the afternoon.

The absolute standout is Friday the 24th of July. Morning brings a 13ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period – that’s a very long-period groundswell, and the energy is massive at 7591. The wind is glassy, calm, and the wave comment says “excellent for experienced surfers.” This is a big, powerful swell that will be firing at the reef and point, but it’s strictly for experts. The afternoon stays glassy with an 12ft SSW swell. This is the best window of the entire forecast.

After that, conditions get messy. Saturday the 25th has an 12ft SW swell, but the wind comes onshore from the east, making it choppy and marginal. Sunday the 26th sees a return to offshore winds, with a 10ft SSW groundswell and long period, but the wind is moderate and the energy is still strong (4948). It’s surfable but not as clean as earlier in the week. Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th are poor with strong onshore winds and lumpy conditions.

By Wednesday the 29th, the swell drops to 4ft, and the wind is strong and cross-off – not great. Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st have small, weak swell (under 4ft) and poor conditions. There’s a glimmer on Saturday the 1st of August with a 5ft SSW swell, glassy morning, and moderate energy (661) – that’s a nice little recovery. Sunday the 2nd of August finishes with a tiny 3ft WSW swell and offshore wind, but it’s very small.

So, the best of the bunch is clearly Friday the 24th of July at Tubes – that 13ft, 16-second SSW groundswell with glassy conditions is a proper session for the experienced crew. The run from Monday the 20th through Wednesday the 22nd is also excellent for intermediates and above. After that, there’s a gap of a few days of average to poor conditions before a small, clean window on the 1st of August.

Rusty.

Read more