Zero Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Rusty here again, with the same story, just in feet.

It’s a tough stretch ahead. A long, drawn-out period of marginal to poor conditions with small swell and less-than-ideal wind for most of the run. The first real surf on offer kicks off Friday, July 3rd, and right out of the gate, it’s a struggle.

The spot we’ve got to work with is Zero, a point break that rarely breaks. That’s the first thing to know – this isn’t a spot you can count on. It’s exposed to a south-southwest swell, and that’s what we’re getting, but the size is tiny. Friday afternoon sees a 3ft south-southwest swell rolling in with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s groundswell, but at this size it’s not packing much punch – the combined wave energy is weak (353). The wind is a cross-shore 15 km/h breeze, so there’s a bit of chop on it. Water temp is sitting at 67° – that’s 5° warmer than normal for the time of year, which is very unusual. It’ll feel like a warm bath.

Saturday keeps things small, 2ft in the morning with a 14-second period and energy dropping (338). Light cross-shore winds in the morning, but the quality is marginal. The afternoon drops even further to 1ft, though the period stretches out to 19 seconds. The energy is weak (315).

Sunday the 5th is a write-off. Morning has clean offshore wind from the south, but the surf is poor. The swell bumps up a touch to 2ft with an 18-second period and slightly more energy (378), but the conditions are just not there.

Through the rest of the first week – Monday the 6th through Wednesday the 8th – we see a slow build. Swell hangs around 2ft to 3ft, with periods between 16 and 20 seconds. The combined energy starts creeping up, hitting a peak of 656 on Tuesday afternoon, which is moderate energy. The key here is that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons see clean cross-offshore winds from the west-northwest, which will tidy things up. Still, the height is tiny and the break rarely breaks, so you’d be scratching for a ride.

From Thursday the 9th onward, it gets grim. Swell drops and the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore for most sessions, leaving the water choppy and the surf poor. There’s a brief flicker on Sunday the 12th afternoon with a clean cross-offshore breeze and 3ft swell at 14 seconds (energy 318), but it’s not enough to get excited about.

The second week is flat and forgettable. By Tuesday the 14th, swell is down to 2ft to 2ft, energy is falling into the 100s, and the conditions are mostly poor. Wednesday and Thursday see energy drop below 200. A few afternoon windows have clean wind, but the swell is just too small and weak to do anything with.

The last few days, Friday the 17th through Saturday the 18th, show a slight uptick in energy – 241 and 278 – with a 2ft south-west swell and a longer period (17-18 seconds). Saturday afternoon has clean cross-offshore wind, but the size is still knee-high at best.

So what’s the standout? Honestly, there isn’t one. This is a bleak run. The best you could hope for is Tuesday the 7th or Wednesday the 8th in the afternoon, when the swell is at its biggest (3ft) and the wind goes clean cross-offshore. The energy is moderate and the waves, while small, will at least have some shape. But with the break rarely breaking, you’re playing a lottery.

For beginners, the swell never tops 3ft, so it’s safe enough, but there’s nothing to ride.

Given the tiny, weak swell and poor consistency, and the fact that it’s a point break, the setup doesn’t look exciting for anything. With onshore winds and small waves, it’s not even worth it for the kites.

Bottom line: there’s no good surf on offer here for the next 16 days. The area just isn’t producing.

Rusty.

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