Whipsiderry Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. Looking at the whole 16-day run, there’s a proper dry spell with almost nothing worth paddling out for, especially for the first ten days or so. The only real glimmer of something with some grunt shows up way down the line, around the 22nd of July, but even that comes with its own set of problems.

The only break on the radar here is Whipsiderry. It’s a fairly exposed spot and it’s looking for a WNW swell to get going. The water’s sitting at 64° right now – that’s much warmer than normal for the time of year, by over 4°, so you’ll be alright without a thick wetsuit for a while.

From Sunday the 12th right through to the 21st of July, it’s pretty grim. We’ve got a mix of tiny 0.7ft to 3ft slop, mostly from the north or northwest, with periods so short they’re barely holding together – mostly 5 or 6 seconds. That’s just windswash. The wind is a constant issue too, mostly cross-off or cross-on from the east or north, often blowing a moderate to fresh breeze. The wave energy is seriously weak, with combined swell energy scores hovering in the 40s and 50s, occasionally bumping up to the 80s or low 100s – but that’s still not enough to get excited about. The surf reports are all saying poor conditions. No standouts in this period at all.

Now, the 22nd of July, Wednesday morning, things change. Overnight the swell jumps to 10ft from the WNW, with the period stretching to 8 seconds. The combined swell energy rockets up to 1157 – that’s strong to very strong energy, no doubt about it. The wind is onshore from the NW at 6 mph, which is okay but not ideal. The report calls it marginal, and to be fair, that big onshore wind will make it lumpy and tricky. This is big, powerful surf, well over 8ft, so it’s experts only. Wednesday afternoon is similar – 10ft, WNW, 9-second period, energy at 1469, but the wind picks up to 12 mph from the WNW, again onshore. It’ll be raw and bumpy, but there’ll be plenty of water moving around.

After that, the 23rd sees the swell drop to 7ft, and the 24th fades to 3ft, and the wind stays messy. The runs from the 25th onward are back to tiny, weak slop. So if you’re looking for the best on offer, it’s that Wednesday the 22nd. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it, but don’t get your hopes up for clean lines – it’s gonna be a battle. Other than that, you might as well wax the board and hang it on the wall for a while.

Rusty.

Read more