Wanjapu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee and settle in, because I’ve been staring at the charts for Wanjapu and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Let’s break it down.

The overall pattern for the next couple of weeks is one of persistent, moderate cross-shore winds and a lot of “marginal” surf. The swell is there, but it’s fighting a cross-chop most of the time, which means it’s going to be lumpy and not the kind of day you’d call your mates about. The water temperature is sitting at a balmy 80° with a 0.9° anomaly, so it’s bang on average for this time of year – no need for a thick wetsuit, just a springy.

The first real chance to get wet comes Sunday, July 19th, but don’t hold your breath. The morning shows a 4ft swell from the southwest, with a period of 14 seconds, but the wind is a cross-shore from the southeast at 9 mph. The combined energy is moderate at 735. It’s a breeze, but it’s that slight cross-shore that’ll put a bit of a ruffle on the face. The afternoon gets worse with the wind ramping up to 19 mph, making it lumpy. Scores are low, so it’s a pass.

Monday, July 20th, the swell picks up to 6ft from the southwest, with a much longer period of 17 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy jumps to 2243. The wind is still cross-shore, 9 mph in the morning. This is the best of the first week, but with the cross-shore wind, it’ll be a bit sectiony. This is a day for the experienced surfer who knows the reef – the long period will make it wall up, but at 6ft it’s getting a bit too big for beginners.

Tuesday, July 21st, drops a touch to 6ft from the southwest, period 15 seconds, moderate energy (1417). The wind is still cross-shore at 16 mph. The pattern holds through Wednesday, where the swell drops to 4ft and the energy weakens. The rest of the week into the weekend (July 23rd to 26th) is similar – small, cross-shore, with the occasional bump in size but no real change in the wind. Saturday, July 25th, has a moment in the morning with a 3ft, 15-second period swell and a light breeze at 6 mph, but the wind is still cross-shore, so it’s just a slight improvement.

Now, there’s a gap of a few days where the swell is small and the wind is messy, until we hit the end of the month. The week starting July 28th has a bit more to offer. The morning of July 28th has a 3ft, 16-second period swell from the SW with a light cross-onshore wind – not ideal, but the light wind means it’s not blown out. The energy is moderate at 614.

The real standout, though, is the afternoon of the 29th of July. The swell is 5ft from the southwest, period 14 seconds, and the wind shifts to a cross-offshore from the ESE at 9 mph. The guide says “clean.” That’s the word. The cross-offshore will groom the reef, giving you clean, lined-up waves. The combined energy is 872 – moderate. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s not huge, but it’ll be good quality.

The first couple of days of August are promising, but they’re a long way out. August 1st Saturday afternoon sees a 8ft swell from the SW with a 17-second period and a strong energy of 3584. The wind is cross-shore at 16 mph, so it’s a bit lumpy. But the morning of Sunday, August 2nd, is a real looker: 8ft, 16-second period, and a light cross-shore breeze at 6 mph. The combined energy is 3696. For the experts, this is a big, powerful swell. At 8ft, it’s expert-only territory. Monday, August 3rd, the wind drops to nearly nothing, with a 6ft, 14-second period and a combined energy of 3240 – the light cross-onshore will be a manageable ripple. This is a solid run of swell, but week-two forecasts are always a bit more of a gamble.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is the afternoon of July 29th for the cleanest conditions, and the morning of August 2nd for the biggest, most powerful swell, but it’s only for the brave. The rest of the time, you’ll be battling the cross-shore wind.

Rusty.

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