Windmills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead. We’ve got a long, quiet run starting out, and for the most part, the ocean isn’t doing us any favours. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t pop up until well into the second week, so if you’re itching for a paddle, you’re going to need some patience.

Looking at the only break on the list, Windmills (reef), it’s a fairly consistent spot that’s advanced-only, but it’s getting hammered by cross-shore winds from the ENE for days on end. From Saturday the 8th right through the following week, it’s all poor surf conditions with lumpy, messy cross-chop. The swell is mostly weak to moderate in energy (values between 115 and 447), with short-period junk around 5 to 8 seconds. The water temp is sitting at a pretty average 80°F for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first sign of anything different shows up on Sunday the 16th. We get a strong offshore wind swinging around from the S, but it’s a near gale at 37 mph – that’s going to be a battle just to get out, let alone catch a wave. The afternoon improves a bit with a fresh offshore at 22 mph, cleaning it up, but the swell is still a chunky 8 ft from the ENE with a period of only 8 seconds. It’s rated as marginal, and the combined energy is strong at 730. This could be the pick of a bad bunch, but it’s still only for the advanced crew.

The one window that might raise an eyebrow is Monday the 17th morning. We’ve got 6 ft of ENE swell and gentle cross-shore winds, with moderate energy (432). It’s still rated as marginal, but by this point, that’s the best we’ve seen. After that, it’s back to the usual cross-shore chop and poor conditions until the end of the forecast.

There’s a brief moment on the 19th where we get a clean, cross-off breeze, but the swell drops off to a tiny 4 ft. And then on the 22nd and 23rd, there are a few odd pulses of westerly swell with longer periods (10-11 seconds), but they’re tiny – 1 ft to 2 ft – and the energy is weak (38-62). Not enough to get excited about.

Honestly, if you’re desperate, the best bet is the afternoon of the 16th or the morning of the 17th at Windmills, but don’t expect much. The rest of the window is a write-off. Sometimes that’s just how it goes.

Rusty.

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