Winki Pop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. This is the rundown for the next couple of weeks.

Bloody hell, the start of this period is a bit of a tease. We’ve got a tiny 2ft SW swell rolling in on Monday the 20th, and it’s actually clean with a light offshore breeze, but it’s just too small to get excited about. The water's sitting at 57°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The real story starts to build later in the week. Tuesday the 21st is a step up with a 3ft SW swell, 14-second period, and light offshore winds – clean, decent, but still just a warm-up. Wednesday the 22nd kicks up with moderate offshore breezes and a 3ft SW swell, but it’s nothing special. Then, Thursday the 23rd is where the switch flicks. That morning we see 6ft of SW swell and by the afternoon it’s 8ft, both with clean cross-offshore winds. The energy is starting to pump, getting into that moderate range (1387 in the morning, 4322 in the arvo).

Friday the 24th proper kicks off. The morning delivers a meaty 10ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period, and clean cross-offshore wind. That’s big, and it’s packing a punch (4579 combined energy). This is expert territory, no doubt. By the afternoon it’s still solid at 8ft, but the wind is a bit stronger.

But the standout? The main event is the last week of July into the start of August. Friday the 25th? Forget about it. Saturday the 25th is firing: 12ft SW swells, moderate cross-offshores, and energy readings over 5000. This is proper power.

Then comes the highlight. Tuesday the 28th of July and Wednesday the 29th are the real gems. Tuesday afternoon is a solid 8ft SW groundswell with a 16-second period, clean offshore NW winds, and the energy is pumping at 6565. That’s a damn good combo. But the crown goes to Wednesday morning the 29th: a massive 15ft SW swell, clean moderate offshore NW wind, and a combined energy reading of 12481. My god. That is serious, serious power. This is for the experts only – beginners and intermediates don’t even think about paddling out. The 15-second period on that means it’s a true groundswell, so it’ll be wrapping around the point, offering some incredible shape, but you’ll have long waits between sets. The afternoon is still a beast at 13ft, but the morning is the one. It's a bit of a gamble that far out, but the signs are all there.

Winki Pop handles this kind of SW groundswell beautifully, being a reef and point setup. That direction is its optimum. Crowds are often there, but on a day like that, only the brave and the skilled will be out.

After that, the swell drops back down. Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st are still fun and surfable, with 5ft to 6ft SSW swells, but the winds turn cross-onshore on the Friday, messing up the clean lines. The first week of August sees a return to smaller, cleaner trade-wind style conditions, with a few good morning windows on the 4th of August with light offshores and waist-to-chest high sets.

So, in short: the first few days are a slow burn. Get excited for that massive pulse on the 28th and 29th. That’s the real deal. The rest is just fun between the sets.

- Rusty

Read more