West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for West Dale. We've got a solid run of tiny, wind-affected slop that's barely worth getting the wetsuit wet for. There's a bit of a wait before anything even slightly interesting shows up, so let's break it down.

Right from the get-go, Thursday 2 July is a write-off. We're looking at a 4ft WSW swell, but it's rocking a short 8-second period and the cross-onshore WNW wind is messing it up. The combined energy is only 176 (weak) and the water temp is 60°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. It's choppy and poor – no thanks.

Friday 3 July through to Wednesday 8 July is basically a desert. We're talking waist-high mush at best, with most days seeing swell under 3ft and winds mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The energy numbers drop into the double digits (as low as 15 on Wednesday 8 July) and the wave comments are all "poor surf conditions." There's a glassy moment on the morning of Wednesday 8 July with ENE 5 km/h wind and a clean look, but the swell is only 1ft – you'd be floating more than surfing. Thursday 9 July to Sunday 12 July stays tiny, with 0.3-0.7ft of swell and a very long 17-18 second period from the SW. That long period might sound tempting, but at those heights you'd need a micro-grovel board and a lot of patience. The winds are mostly clean or offshore though, so if you're desperate for a paddle, you could probably get some ankle-biters.

Now, Monday 13 July afternoon sees a little bump – a 2ft W swell with a 12-second period and the combined energy jumps to 101 (moderate). The wind is light cross-shore from the NNW, so it's not perfect but it's the first time in over a week we've had any real push. Conditions are still called "poor" though, so don't get too excited.

The standout, if you can call it that, is Tuesday 14 July morning. We get a 2ft W swell with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is 129 – actually moderate. The wind is light cross-offshore from the east at 10 km/h, meaning clean conditions. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" and it scores a 1/10, so it's not exactly pumping. But it's the *only* morning in the whole 16-day window that's even mildly surfable. For a break like West Dale that's fairly consistent, this is a poor run. Beginners might find something to play on, but anyone else will be frustrated.

After that, we're back to tiny slop through to Friday 17 July afternoon, when a 5ft WSW swell rolls in with a 6-second period and the energy hits 158. But the wind is cross-onshore from the west at 20 km/h, making it choppy and messy. At 5ft it's pushing the limit for learners, but the short period and onshore wind mean it's not going to be any fun for anyone. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing – the wind and chop will be better for getting airborne than catching a clean face.

Bottom line: if you're desperate, aim for Tuesday 14 July morning for the cleanest conditions on a small, surfable wave. Anything beyond that next week is a long-range hope but looking unlikely to deliver. The gap of poor conditions from now until that Tuesday is about 12 days of mostly unrideable junk. Not much to get excited about, but hang in there – forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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