West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's be honest about West Dale – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty poor for a paddle. We've got a long stretch of flat, weak conditions that just aren't going to give you anything worth getting out of bed for.

From Saturday the 11th right through to the morning of Monday the 21st of July, we're seeing tiny, weak swell – mostly under 1ft – coming from the WSW or SW. The wave energy is pathetic, sitting at just 10 to 53 (weak). A lot of the time the wind is cross-off or light, but with no swell to work with, it's a waste. The swell period is often very long (16 to 19 seconds), which would be great if there was any size, but this is just flat groundswell doing nothing.

Then, on Tuesday the 21st of July, we finally get a pulse. The swell jumps to 5ft to 5ft from the WSW, with combined energy hitting 153 to 180 (moderate). The problem? The period is a short 6 seconds, so it's messy, weak windswell. And the wind? Onshore from the W or cross-onshore from the WSW, blowing 12 to 16 mph. This is raw, choppy stuff – more of a windy mess than a wave. It stays onshore and lumpy through Wednesday the 22nd, with the swell holding around 4ft.

Thursday the 23rd sees a slight shift – still onshore wind from the W, but the swell direction goes NW for the afternoon at 4ft (167 energy). It's not clean.

Friday the 24th brings a bit of hope. The morning is a clean 4ft from the WSW with cross-off wind from the NNE at 16 mph. Energy is only 89 (weakish), but it's clean. The afternoon gets a bit bigger – 6ft from the SW (182 energy), still clean with N cross-off wind. That's the best combo of size and clean conditions in this whole window. Still short period (6 seconds) so not gonna be a classic, but you could get a few grovelly ones.

Saturday the 25th of July is the big one, but hold your horses. We've got 8ft swell from the W, with combined energy roaring up to 791 (strong to very strong). That's proper size. But here's the catch: the morning is onshore wind from the W at 12 mph, and the afternoon is cross-onshore from the SW at 16 mph, making it choppy. The period is only 7-8 seconds, so it's a short, powerful windswell. For experts only at this size – beginners stay well clear. The crowd situation? With that much energy, if it's breaking at all, it'll be crowded sometimes.

Sunday the 26th drops right back down to 3-3ft onshore crud.

So the standout is very clearly Friday the 24th of July – the afternoon session gives you 6ft from the SW with clean, cross-off wind. It's not perfect, but it's the only time in the whole forecast where decent size and good wind line up. The Saturday 8ft is a beast, but the wind ruins it for a good paddle – that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly.

For the break itself, West Dale is an exposed spot that likes the SW swell direction. On Friday the 24th, the swell is coming from the SW, which matches up, and with clean wind, it'll be the pick.

Water temp is around 61°F, which is pretty much spot on average for this time of year – no dramas there.

So if you're hanging for a wave, pencil in the afternoon of Friday 24th July at West Dale. It won't be epic, but it's the best we've got. Otherwise, it's a long, flat wait.

Rusty.

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