Walcott Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf forecast for the Walcott area.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window is pretty bleak. We’ve got a solid run of poor surf conditions that starts now and doesn’t really let up for the first week and a half. What little swell we see is constantly hit by a strong, persistent NNW wind, keeping the ocean a mess of cross-onshore chop. The only break on the menu is Walcott, and it’s an inconsistent beginner spot that is "fairly exposed" to swell but the optimum direction (N) just isn’t lining up with the wind.

Let’s get into the week. This Friday the 17th we’ve got tiny 2ft swell from the north with a weak 4-second period, and cross-on winds. The water’s a standout though – at 64°F, that’s a whopping 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year. Really unusual to feel that much warmth in the water. But don’t get excited, the surf is just poor.

Saturday the 18th brings a slightly better 4ft to 5ft swell from the north, but the wind is still howling from the NNW at up to 19 mph. The combined energy climbs to 199 by the afternoon, so there’s some push there, but it’s just messy and lumpy. This pattern keeps up right through Sunday the 19th, with 6ft swell swinging through and a combined energy hitting 482. That’s moderate energy, but the NNW wind smashes any chance of a clean wave. Still poor.

Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are more of the same – dropping swell, still cross-on winds, energy falling back into the double digits. Truly forgettable. Wednesday the 22nd is a write-off in the morning with light rain and then the afternoon wind jumps to 22 mph, bumping the waves up but ruining them. Thursday the 23rd sees the biggest swell of the forecast – 7ft from the north with period up to 8 seconds and combined energy of 465. That’s an expert-only size for this spot, but the cross-on wind is blowing a fresh 22 mph, so you’d be fighting a lumpy, choppy mess. Not worth it.

Things calm down a little on Friday the 24th when the wind finally drops to 3 mph, leaving us with light cross-shore conditions. But the swell has vanished to a pathetic 3ft with no real energy. Too small to care about.

Now we hit a real flat spot. From Saturday the 25th right through to Tuesday the 29th, the swell drops to almost nothing – 1ft to 2ft at best. The combined energy is in the single digits or teens. On Saturday the 25th, we catch a brief moment of clean conditions with cross-offshore wind, but there’s no wave to ride. This is a multi-day gap with absolutely nothing worth paddling for. This kind of blank run is pretty normal for an inconsistent area like Walcott when the wind is wrong.

There’s a tiny pulse on Tuesday the 29th afternoon with 4ft from the NW and a 5-second period, but the wind is cross-on again and the energy is only 72. Then another feeble spike on Thursday the 31st with some 4ft north swell, 6-second period, ENE wind light at 6 mph. That might look less windy, but it’s still poor surf conditions. The very last day, Saturday August 1st, gives us a clean cross-offshore breeze with a 1ft wave. Clean but empty.

Look, I’ve got to be honest with you: there isn’t one stand out day in this whole 16-day stretch. The wind is just relentless in the wrong direction, and when it does drop, the swell is gone. If you’re desperate, Saturday the 25th morning (July) offers the cleanest conditions, but you’ll be bobbing on 1ft waves. That’s it. For anything even resembling a surf, you’re better off waiting for the next forecast cycle.

Rusty.

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