Winki Pop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our stretch of coast. Looks like we’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there’s a real good pulse building for the end of this week. Let’s get into it.

The first real action pops up on Monday morning, the 27th of July, at Winki Pop. It’s a reef and point setup, so it handles a bit of size. The swell is a modest 3 ft from the SW, with a period around 11 seconds – that’s groundswell, so plenty of push. The water is sitting at 56.5°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, nothing freaky. The morning has a gentle offshore breeze from the NW, so the lines will be clean. The combined energy is weak (241), so it’s not a standout, but it’s a start. By Monday afternoon, the wind picks up a touch to a moderate offshore from the NNW, the swell stays at 3 ft but the period stretches to 12 seconds, and the energy is still low (277). It’s surfable, but nothing to call home about.

Tuesday the 28th sees a real jump in quality. The morning has a fresh offshore breeze from the NNW at 18.6 mph, with a 2.6 ft swell from the SSW, but look at that period – 16 seconds. That’s proper long-period groundswell. The energy is ramping up into the moderate range (515). The afternoon gets even better: a 4.6 ft swell from the SW, 15-second period, and the energy jumps to 838. The wind is still a fresh offshore from the WNW at 21.7 mph. The waves are going to be clean and well-shaped, but the wind is strong, so paddle out with a bit of grit.

Now, Wednesday the 29th of July is where things get interesting. The morning is a write-off – a 6.6 ft swell from the SW, but a fresh cross-shore from the SW at 21.7 mph is going to turn it into a lumpy mess. The energy is strong (2769), but the wind is all wrong. The afternoon, though, is a ripper. The swell kicks up to 11.5 ft from the SW, with a 15-second period, and the energy is huge (8403). The wind clocked around to a moderate cross-offshore from the WSW at 15.5 mph, making it clean. This is big, powerful surf – definitely for experts only. The waves will be grinding down the point, but that 11.5 ft is serious. Surfers who know what they’re doing are going to have a session.

Thursday the 30th holds a bit of size. The morning has a 5.2 ft swell from the SSW, 13-second period, with a gentle cross-offshore from the W. The energy is moderate (837). The afternoon bumps up to 7.5 ft from the SW, still 13 seconds, and the energy jumps to 2361. The wind stays gentle and cross-offshore. It’s solid, but the wind is light, so the waves will be clean. A good day for advanced surfers.

Friday the 31st of July is a beauty. The morning has a light cross-offshore from the WNW at 6.2 mph, with a 3.6 ft swell from the SW, 12-second period, and low energy (366). The afternoon, though, is glassy. The wind drops to a slight air from the SSE, zero wind, and the swell is 3.3 ft from the SSW, 12-second period. The energy is still low (392), but the conditions are pristine. This is the kind of afternoon where you just sit out the back and enjoy the peace.

The weekend brings a mixed bag. Saturday the 1st of August has a clean morning with a light cross-offshore from the N, but only a 2 ft swell from the SW with a very long 18-second period. The energy is low (457). The afternoon is better: 4.6 ft from the SW, 16-second period, energy jumps to 1007. The wind is light and cross-offshore. This is a good, clean day for a longboard or a funboard. Sunday the 2nd has a 4.3 ft swell in the morning, but a moderate wind from the N at 15.5 mph makes it workable, not great. Energy is moderate (998). The afternoon is similar.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Monday the 3rd of August right through to the morning of Saturday the 8th of August, it’s pretty grim. The wind is onshore, cross-shore, or just plain messy, and the swell is small or poorly directed. The combined energy is weak to moderate, but the conditions are poor. It’s a long gap of about five days of nothing.

Finally, Saturday the 8th of August afternoon shows some life. The wind goes glassy again from the NE at 3.1 mph, with a 3.3 ft swell from the SW, 17-second period. The energy is moderate (576). It’s clean, but the swell is small. Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th have some swell, but the wind is fresh and messy, so it’s not worth the drive.

The best of the window is absolutely Wednesday the 29th

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