Watergate Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's have a look at what's on offer for Watergate Bay.

Straight up, I've got to be honest with you – this is a tough run. The entire 16-day window is looking pretty grim. There's no real stand-out session, and a lot of the time the surf is just poor. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, messing with the surface. The combined energy of all swells directed here is weak, often under 100, which tells you there's just not much power in the water.

Let's start with the first few days. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th, we've got tiny waves, around 2ft to 3ft, with a short, weak period of 4 to 5 seconds. The wind is blowing from the north and northwest, making it choppy. It's basically a lake out there. Sunday the 26th sees a bit of a bump in size to 6ft, but the wind is howling onshore from the NW at 18-19 mph, so it's just a messy, blown-out wall of whitewater. The combined energy does jump up to 293 and 335 (moderate), but it's not doing you any favours.

Monday the 27th through to the end of July, the surf drops back down to tiny 2ft stuff. The wind swings around, but it's still mostly cross or onshore. There's a brief moment on the morning of Thursday the 30th where the wind goes light and cross-offshore, giving us clean conditions, but the swell is still a pathetic 2ft with a 8-second period and combined energy of only 49 (weak). You'd be fighting for a knee-high ripple.

Now, towards the end of the first week and into the second week, things get a bit more interesting in size, but not in quality. Friday the 31st afternoon, the swell picks up to 6ft from the west with a long 11-second period, and the combined energy rockets to 658 (moderate). That sounds promising, but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore, making it fairly choppy. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The morning of Sunday the 2nd of August, we see the biggest swell of the outlook at 10ft from the west, with a long 11-second period and a massive combined energy of 1736 (strong). But this is a "marginal surf forecast" – and for good reason. The wind is a moderate cross-onshore at 12 mph making it choppy, and for a beach break like Watergate Bay, a 10ft, long-period groundswell like this is going to be a close-out, best left for the experts. The following Monday the 3rd of August still has 7ft swell, but again, it's onshore and messy.

The rest of the week into the 8th of August is a mix of smaller, weaker swells and poor, choppy conditions. The surf is never good.

So, what's the best of a bad bunch? Honestly, there isn't a true standout. The only time you might get a clean wave is that Thursday morning, the 30th of July, with the light offshore wind, but the swell is just too small. If you're a beginner, the size on the 31st of July afternoon or the 1st of August might be manageable, but you'll be dealing with chop. For the experienced crew, that 10ft swell on the 2nd of August is the only one with any real power, but it's a messy, expert-only affair. With the persistent onshore wind and poor quality, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

It's a blank run, plain and simple. The forecasts can change, but for now, I'd save your energy and wait for a better window.

Rusty

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