Winkipop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Winkipop and I gotta be straight with you—this 16-day window starts off a bit grim, but there’s a sweet little window of quality that’s worth waiting for. The first few days are a write-off, but hold tight.

Right now, from Thursday 16th July through to Saturday 18th July, we’ve got a bit of a dud. Swell is hanging around 3ft to 4ft, period is short—only 6 to 8 seconds—and the wind is cross-off but not doing any favours. The combined energy is weak (162 to 277), and the forecast calls it marginal or very ordinary. Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for. You’d be better off waiting.

Then it gets interesting. Sunday 19th July is the standout. Winkipop is a point break, consistent, exposed to the swell, and it’s favouring an optimum direction from the SE. On Sunday morning, we’ve got a solid 7ft swell from the ENE with a long 11-second period. That’s groundswell energy, and it’s packing serious punch—combined energy of 1051 is strong. Wind is light and cross-off from the SSE at only 6 mph, so it’ll be clean. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The swell is over 5ft, so it’s a bit much for beginners, but for the crew who know what they’re doing, this is the session to aim for. Sunday afternoon drops a touch to 7ft with a 10-second period, still very good, and the light breeze keeps it tidy.

Monday 20th July morning is still decent, with 6ft from the ENE, 10-second period, and light offshore wind from the W at 6 mph. Clean and punchy. But by Monday afternoon, the wind swings onshore from the NE and the quality fades.

After that, the surf slowly drops through the week. Tuesday 21st has a 5ft swell, but the wind is shifting—morning is light cross-shore, afternoon is onshore. Not great. Wednesday 22nd morning offers a glimmer with 4ft swell and a clean offshore from the SSW at 6 mph, but the energy is only moderate (305). It’s surfable, but nothing special.

From Thursday 23rd July onwards, it’s a long, slow decline. Swell sizes drop below 3ft, periods shorten, and the combined energy falls into the weak to moderate range (94 to 181). By Friday 25th and into the weekend, we’re seeing poor surf conditions with fresh breezes and messy swell. The 26th and 27th have tiny waves, and the 28th onwards sees a weird long-period southern swell (17 seconds) but only 1ft to 1ft. That’s not gonna do anything at a point break like Winkipop—it’ll just be a flat, clean ocean.

So, the call is clear: Sunday 19th July is the best on offer. Get out there for the morning session. After that, the rest of the outlook is barren until the end of the month. It’s a long gap of poor surf, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, that Sunday is your window.

Rusty.

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