Winki Pop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for Winki Pop. This is a reef and point wave, so it handles the juice, but it’s an advanced wave, so you better have your sh*t together. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

The forecast starts off heavy. This Saturday morning, the 25th of July, we’ve got a solid 12 ft SW swell with a 12-second period. The wave energy is massive, 4740 (strong to very strong). The wind is a cross-off from the WSW at 12 mph, keeping it clean, but the report says it’s marginal. That’s a lot of water, and at that size, it’s strictly for the experts. The swell drops slightly by Saturday afternoon to 10 ft, but it’s still a big, powerful ocean.

Sunday the 26th sees the swell ease to a more manageable 4 ft in the morning, but the wind is a cross-off from the W and the forecast is still marginal. By Sunday afternoon, the wind goes offshore from the WNW at a light 6 mph, and we get a clean 4 ft SSW swell. The conditions are good, but the wave energy is low (316), so it’s a small but clean option.

Monday the 27th is small and ordinary, with a 3 ft SW swell and a gentle offshore in the morning, but the comment says “very ordinary conditions.” Not worth the paddle.

We then have a bit of a gap in quality. Tuesday the 28th has a 4 ft SW swell with a fresh 19 mph offshore wind, but it’s rated as marginal. The wind is strong, so it’s going to be a fight.

The first real standout is Saturday the 1st of August. The afternoon session is the pick. We’ve got a 5 ft SSW swell with a very long period of 16 seconds. The wind is light from the W at 6 mph, making it a clean cross-off. The energy is moderate (1388) and the report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is a solid, clean groundswell, and for a point and reef like Winki, that long period is going to produce some nice, lined-up waves. The crowds are “often” here, so expect company.

Then Sunday the 2nd of August morning is the absolute standout of the whole run. We’ve got a 6 ft SW swell with an 18-second period – that’s a proper, long-period groundswell. The wind is a gentle cross-off from the W at 9 mph, keeping it clean. The wave energy is strong (2199) and the report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is the one. The size is getting up there, so it’s for the advanced crew, but the quality should be phenomenal. The afternoon goes south with a southerly wind onshore, so get it in the morning.

After that, the swell drops back. Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th are marginal and small. Wednesday the 5th has a 4 ft SSW swell with a 13-second period and a moderate cross-off, but it’s still marginal.

Around the 6th and 7th of August, the swell direction swings to the SE with a short period of 8 seconds. The height is 8 ft to 8 ft, and the energy is moderate to strong (1093-1431). The wind is cross-off, but that short period SE swell is lumpy and messy. It’s big, but it’s not going to be a classic Winki wave. For that size and period, it’s more of an interesting prospect for the kite surfers than a proper paddle session.

The run fades out from the 8th of August with small, clean swell in the 2 ft to 3 ft range, so nothing to get excited about there.

So, to wrap it up: the best of the best is Sunday the 2nd of August morning – that 6 ft SW groundswell with an 18-second period and light offshore wind is the one to circle. The other solid option is Saturday the 1st of August afternoon, with the 5 ft, 16-second swell and light winds. Both are for the experienced crew, but the quality will be there.

Rusty.

Read more