Venus Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Venus Bay is our only spot, and we’ve got a mixed bag coming up. The first decent window opens on the 20th, but it’s not a big one. The water’s sitting at 60°, which is about normal for this time of year, nothing to get excited about.

We start Monday, the 20th of July, with a clean 3ft SW swell from a long 15-second period, offering moderate energy (570). The wind is cross-off from the north at 12 mph, making it clean but it’s a marginal call. The combined energy is moderate. Not a standout, but a surfable option if you’re keen. Tuesday morning improves slightly with 4ft from the SW and a 13-second period, moderate energy (473), and a light north cross-off. It’s clean, but the scores are still low. After that, the wind turns ugly and the condition reports drop off fast.

By Wednesday the 22nd, the swell drops to 2ft but the wind goes onshore strong, and the quality is poor. Thursday the 23rd brings a bigger push: 5ft SW from a 15-second period, with strong energy (1375), but the wind is cross from the south at 9 mph, leading to a marginal and choppy setup. The afternoon kicks up to 6ft from the SSW, very strong energy (2052), but a fresh 19 mph cross wind makes it messy. This is solid for expert surfers only, but the conditions are average at best.

From Friday the 24th through to the 29th, we’re stuck in a rut: swells between 3ft and 5ft, but the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the condition reports are all marginal or poor. The 28th sees a 3ft swell with a very long 17-second period (668), but it’s onshore, so the shape is lost. Not worth paddling out.

Now, the pick of the period falls on Wednesday, the 29th of July. The morning brings a 4ft SW swell from a long 15-second period, moderate energy (653), and a light NNE cross-off breeze at 6 mph. The report says “expect very good surf conditions” – and that’s the standout. Clean, offshore wind, decent size, and a solid period. This is the best on offer, and it’s only for the morning session. The afternoon goes onshore.

After that, we see a building trend into early August. The 31st of July and 1st of August have bigger swells, hitting 6ft and 6ft from the SW, with very long periods (16 seconds) and very strong energy (3000 on the 1st). But the wind is howling from the north at 25 mph, cross-off but strong, making it a clean but wild session. The 1st of August afternoon has a cross wind at 16 mph, and the 2nd of August is a write-off with onshore gales. These are big swells for experts only, and the wind is a challenge.

The gap from the 29th to the 31st is only a couple of days, but the run from the 23rd to the 29th is mostly flat or poor. Stick with the 29th morning for the cleanest, most reliable surf. The later bigger days are for the brave.

Rusty.

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