Windmills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Well, I’ve got to be straight with you—this is a tough one. The only spot in the mix is Windmills, and looking at the whole 16-day window, I just can’t find a session worth getting excited about. Every single time slot comes back with a score of zero, which is a real bummer. The swell is there, but the wind is just relentless, blowing from the east-northeast at 19 to 22 mph for most of the first week, keeping things lumpy and cross-shore. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off Friday, 31 July, with a clean sky but a fresh 22 mph cross-shore wind. Swell is around 5 ft to 7 ft from the east-northeast with a short period of only 6 to 7 seconds, giving us a combined energy of 254 to 311—moderate, but the wind just kills it. The surf is poor, lumpy cross-chop. Saturday and Sunday don’t let up; still 22 mph winds, still messy. The swell holds around 6 ft to 6 ft, and the energy climbs a bit, up to 435 and 504, but with that onshore breeze, it’s just a washing machine. Monday, 3 August, the wind eases to 12 mph, but it’s still cross-shore, and the swell drops to 4 ft to 5 ft with a period of 8 seconds. The energy is weaker now, around 222 to 306. Still poor conditions.

Tuesday, 4 August, brings a shift in wind direction to the northeast at 9 mph, and the swell period stretches to 11 seconds, which is a nice long-period groundswell. The energy is moderate at 346 to 425. But the wind is still cross-shore, and the surf remains poor. For a reef break like Windmills, that longer period could have been magic with the right wind, but it’s just not clean. Wednesday morning, 5 August, we get a brief moment of cross-offshore wind from the east at 16 mph, and the wave comment says “clean.” The swell is only 3 ft with a 9-second period, and energy is low at 179. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but still a zero score. The next few days are more of the same: cross-shore winds, lumpy conditions, and swell heights bouncing between 3 ft and 5 ft.

By the second week, from 10 August onwards, the wind stays strong, mostly 19 to 22 mph from the east-northeast. The swell gets a bit of a kick on Sunday, 9 August, with 7 ft from the east-northeast and energy up to 461, but the period is only 7 seconds, so it’s short-period windswell, and the wind is still cross-shore. The water is still average temp. Then, around 13 August, we see a weird shift: a tiny 2 ft swell from the west with a very long period of 14 seconds, and the wind turns cross-offshore from the east-northeast, giving us clean conditions. But the energy is low to moderate, 119 to 161, and the surf is still rated poor. On 15 August, we get a 2 ft west swell with a 14-second period and energy of 274, but the wind is back to cross-shore and lumpy.

Honestly, there’s no standout here. The best-looking conditions are those Wednesday and Friday mornings with clean, cross-offshore wind, but the swell is just too small and weak to make anything of it. If you’re a beginner, the swell rarely goes over 5 ft, so that’s not a problem, but the wind and chop will make it a frustrating paddle. For experts, there’s nothing over 7 ft, so no real power. The setup is a reef, so it’s not kite-friendly either. This is a blank run for the area, plain and simple. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

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