Vilas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the surf situation is a bit of a struggle. The first half of the period is looking pretty grim, with a lot of poor conditions and wind that’s not doing us any favours. We’re looking at a solid run of days where it’s just not going to be worth paddling out. The good news is there’s a little promise in the second week, but we’ll need to be patient.

Let’s start with the earliest sniff of surf, which is on Friday, July 10th at Vilas. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, very consistent, and it’s exposed to the swell. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a normal wetsuit is the call. Friday morning we’ve got a 3 ft swell from the SSE with an 11-second period, which gives us a moderate wave energy of 370. The wind is light and onshore from the ESE at 6 mph. It’s not clean, but it’s the only thing on the menu. The score is a 1, and the notes say it’s marginal. Honestly, it’s a pass for me.

The rest of the first week is a write-off. The wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the swell stays small or messy. The entire period from Friday afternoon all the way through to the end of the first week is just poor surf conditions. There’s a moderate energy pulse on Thursday, July 16th with 5 ft and a 521 energy reading, but it’s cross-onshore wind and the score is a big fat zero. Forget it.

The second week starts to get a little more interesting, but it’s still a long way off. For the standout moment of the whole outlook, I’m looking at Sunday, July 19th morning. The swell is going to be 6 ft from the E, with a period of 8 seconds. That’s a short-period swell, but the energy is strong at 807. The wind is onshore from the SE at 9 mph, so it’s going to be a bit bumpy, but the notes call it a marginal surf forecast – it’s the best we’ve got. The score is a 1. This is one to watch, but it’s a week and a half away, so don’t get your hopes up too high yet.

Beyond that, Wednesday, July 22nd morning also has a bit of size with 6 ft from the ESE, period 8 seconds, and energy of 394. The wind is light onshore, so it’s another marginal call. But again, it’s a long way out and the period is short, so it could be a bit of a messy, lumpy affair.

The long and short of it is that there’s no real standout session here. The first week is a total bust, and the second week offers a couple of glimmers that are too far out to fully trust. Keep an eye on the 19th, but don’t book the day off work just yet.

Rusty.

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