Turtles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

First up, we’re looking at a solid run of SW groundswell hitting Turtles, a reef setup that’s exposed and demanding advanced skills. The water temp is a bit off the usual for this time of year, but not drastically so – just something to note if you’re particular about your wetsuit. The combined swell energy is strong, with values reaching into the thousands (1452 on Monday morning), so there’s plenty of push behind these waves.

The best bet for the whole period is Tuesday the 28th of July. The morning session is looking absolutely prime: a clean 6ft SW swell at 14 seconds, with a light offshore breeze from the ESE and combined energy of 1139. This is excellent for experienced surfers – the kind of morning where you’re grinning ear to ear. The period is long enough to give you proper, lined-up waves that hold their shape on the reef. It’s a standout, but it’s a reef break that’s fairly consistent, so you’ll want to be on your game.

The other real highlight is Monday the 3rd of August. Again, a morning session with a clean 5ft SW swell at 14 seconds, gentle offshore ESE wind, and combined energy of 1390. It’s another excellent window for the advanced crew, with that long period making the paddle out a bit easier between sets. This one is a good week and a half away, so keep an eye on it – promising but not set in stone.

Now, the rest of the run is a bit of a mixed bag. Monday the 20th of July starts with a 7ft SW swell, but that cross-off wind and the questionable tide conditions mean it’s not the cleanest. The afternoon turns to junk with a 22 mph cross-shore wind. The swell drops through the middle of the week, with a few clean but marginal mornings. By Thursday the 23rd, you get a fresh offshore breeze and a 5ft SW swell (period 16 seconds), but the combined energy is high (1281) and the conditions are still a bit marginal. It’s worth a paddle if you’re desperate, but it’s not the one.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th is small and poor – don’t bother. Then we get a bit of a pulse on Monday the 27th with a 5ft SW swell (15 seconds, 1240 energy), but the morning is clean and the afternoon is cross-onshore and choppy.

After the standout Tuesday the 28th, the swell fades fast. The 29th of July has a tiny 3ft WSW swell with a very long period of 18 seconds, but it’s clean in the morning. That long period means it’ll be peeling nicely on the reef, but it’s small. The 30th and 31st see a building swell, but the wind gets messy – strong cross-off winds on the 31st with a 6ft swell (2014 energy) but it’s marginal. The first few days of August are a mixed bag of clean-ish mornings and choppy afternoons, with the 3rd being the other standout morning.

If you’re a beginner, most of this is too big or too advanced. Turtles is a reef break for experts, and anything over 5ft here is pushing it for the less experienced. Over 8ft and it’s strictly for the pros.

So, to sum it up: the real gems are the mornings of Tuesday the 28th of July and Monday the 3rd of August. Get on those if you can.

Rusty.

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