Turtle Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Turtle Cove. Let’s be straight with you—this is a grim outlook. The first recommendation doesn’t even show up until Wednesday the 15th of July, and even then it’s barely a whisper. The whole 16-day window is mostly a write-off. Sure, there’s a bit of low-energy swell rattling around after that, but the surf quality is just awful. For Turtle Cove, a run this blank is a bit unusual, but forecasts can change, so don’t bin your board just yet.

Alright, let’s walk through it. The first surfable moment finally arrives on Wednesday morning, July 15th. The water is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 67°, which is noticeable but not freakish. The swell is a weak 4 ft from the SW with a short period of 6 seconds—that’s just windswell, no real juice. The combined energy is a meagre 116 (moderate), but the standout here is the wind: it’s glassy, dead calm. That’s the only reason it’s even surfable. It’s a reef and point setup, so the short period isn’t a total disaster, but the waves will be small and messy. Crowds are “sometimes” an issue, so you might have a few others bobbing around, but honestly, with surf this ordinary, it’ll be quiet.

The rest of the week is a desert. Thursday the 16th through to Monday the 20th of July is all poor surf, tiny 1.0 ft to 2 ft swell, onshore or cross-off winds, and energy readings that barely crack 30. Forget it.

Then, on Tuesday the 21st of July, the swell finally pushes up—6 ft from the SE, period 6 seconds, but the combined energy jumps to 200 (moderate). The wind is cross-off in the morning, clean. It’s still not great, but it’s the biggest swell of the period. The afternoon gets even bigger at 8 ft from the SSE, energy hits 454 (strong), but it’s cross-shore and choppy. That’s expert territory, and a beach break would be a mess, but Turtle Cove is a reef and point, so it might hold some shape. Still, the short period means it’ll be a bit crumbly.

Wednesday the 22nd of July holds 5 ft to 5 ft from the S, period 8 seconds, energy around 465 (strong) in the morning—clean cross-off. That’s probably the best window of the whole forecast. The swell direction (S) is close to the optimum SE, so it’s lining up alright. But again, the surf quality is still flagged as “poor” for the afternoon, so don’t expect perfection.

Thursday the 23rd of July morning has 4 ft from the S, period 7 seconds, energy 205 (moderate), with a gentle offshore and clean conditions. It’s the only time the forecast actually says “expect good surf conditions”—a score of 2 out of 10, which in this context is a win. The sets will be short and a bit weak, but it’s rideable.

After that, it fades fast. Friday the 24th of July drops to 2 ft and the energy tanks. The whole run is a test of patience.

If you’re a kite surfer, those big cross-off winds on the 21st and 22nd would be more interesting than trying to paddle out. For the rest of us, keep your eyes on the 23rd morning—it’s the only real standout, and it’s not much. Stay hopeful, the forecast can turn.

Rusty.

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