Windmills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the region.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch ahead. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty grim, with no real standouts to get excited about. The surf is there, but the conditions are a mess. We’re looking at a solid run of poor surf quality, mostly thanks to persistent cross-shore winds that are going to keep things lumpy and chopped up. The first real chance for anything clean doesn’t pop up until the tail end of the period.

The only spot on the radar is Windmills. It’s a reef break for advanced surfers only, and it’s fairly consistent. The water temp is sitting at about 80°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Things start off rough. Wednesday the 22nd through to the start of the second week is basically a write-off. You’ve got swell hanging around from the ENE and NE, mostly between 4ft and 6ft, but the wind is a solid 18 to 19 mph cross-shore, creating a messy cross-chop. The combined energy is mostly moderate, hitting over 300 (326) by Friday the 24th afternoon, but it doesn’t matter when the wind is tearing it apart. The swell period is short, between 6 and 8 seconds, so it’s weak, wind-driven slop.

There’s a slight shift on Wednesday the 29th. The wind drops to 9 mph from the north, but it turns onshore, and the swell bumps up to 6ft from the NE with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 716 (strong), but the forecast is only marginal, with questionable tide conditions. This one is not a goer.

The first truly clean window appears on Thursday the 30th. The morning sees a light ESE breeze at 6 mph, making it cross-offshore and clean. Swell is a smaller 3ft from the ENE at 8 seconds, with combined energy of 180 (weak). It’s surfable but very ordinary. You’d be scratching for something half-decent.

After that, it’s right back into the same cross-shore mess for the first week of August. By the 4th of August, we get a long-period swell (15 seconds) from the ENE, with 3ft of wave height and combined energy of 491 (moderate). The period is long, so the waves will have better shape, but the wind is still cross-shore at 12 mph, keeping it bumpy. The current is a moderate cross-chop again.

Honestly, if you’re desperate for a paddle, the only half-decent chance is the morning of Thursday the 30th of July at Windmills, with that clean cross-offshore breeze. But don’t expect much – it’s small and weak. For the rest of it, the conditions are so poor that this setup might be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, especially when the wind is up and the swell is over 5ft. It’s a long blank run, but with the persistent cross-shore wind, it’s not a huge surprise for this area.

Rusty.

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