Udo Shrine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let's have a look at what’s on offer around Udo Shrine.

Alright, straight up, the first week is a tough watch for surfers. From Saturday the 25th of July right through to Saturday the 1st of August, it’s a flat spell or tiny, weak slop. There’s nothing worth paddling out for. The wind and swell combo just isn’t there. You’ll get some glassy mornings here and there, but with swell running only 1 feet to 2 feet and combined energy readings barely breaking triple digits – peaking at just 157 (moderate wave energy) on Monday morning – it’s not going to stand you up. Don’t bother scraping the wax off for these days.

Now, the wait gets a bit more interesting come Sunday the 2nd of August. The afternoon sees a jump to 2 feet of ESE swell, but the wind swings onshore and it feels messy. The combined energy is ramping up to 273 (moderate wave energy), but it’s still poor quality surf.

Then we hit Monday the 3rd of August and the ocean starts growling. We’ve got a big E/ESE groundswell building, with a very long period of 16–18 seconds. On Monday morning, the swell pushes to 5 feet, but the onshore is still strong and not offering clean waves. The combined energy is way up at 1360 (strong wave energy).

The standout, if you are an expert and you have a mate with a rescue sled, will be Wednesday the 5th of August. This is the best on offer in the whole window. Udo Shrine is a reef break and that rare long-period E swell at 13 feet to 15 feet with a period of 18 seconds is going to be absolutely pumping. Combined energy readings of 10039 and 11036 (very strong wave energy) tell you there’s serious grunt in the water. The wind is moderate cross-onshore, so it won’t be perfect, but the size and power will be undeniable. But here’s the thing – with the swell over 8 feet, this is experts only. If you’re not comfortable in late take-offs and big, heaving reef waves, don’t even think about it. If you’re a beginner, this is a hard pass.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th of August get even bigger – 16 feet to 21 feet of that same long-period E swell, with combined energy hitting five-digit numbers up to 25553. The forecast notes that the swell is simply too big for this break, and I agree. It’ll be a washing machine close to the reef. The wind is light for Friday, but again – this is massive, dangerous, and for the absolute elite.

After that swell trains out, things drop fast. Saturday the 8th flips back to tiny 1 feet slop. But watch Sunday the 9th of August morning – a new 5 feet E swell with a 12-second period rolls in, combined energy at 683 (moderate wave energy), and with glassy conditions, it’ll offer a genuine window of clean, surfable waves for the more patient surfer. It won’t be huge, but it’ll be a lot more fun than the flat start.

Water temp sits around 84° on Saturday the 25th, which is bang on average for this time of year – no drama there.

So to wrap it up: the first week is dead. The second week has a monster swell for experts only. The real sweet spot might just be that Sunday morning glass-off on the 9th of August. The reef handles a long period E swell well, so expect lined-up sets with plenty of push.

Stay safe out there, and don’t be a hero in the giant stuff unless you know exactly what you’re doing.

Rusty.

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