Anderson Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the table for Anderson Street over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – this stretch of sandbar isn’t exactly firing. The water’s sitting at a balmy 72°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might be in boardies for a while yet, but the surf itself? It’s a bit of a struggle.

The overall pattern is one of persistent onshore and cross-onshore wind, mostly from the south-west, and most of the swell is coming from the south. The energy in the water is generally moderate, with readings in the hundreds, but it’s just not translating to clean waves at this break. A lot of the period is described as “poor surf conditions” or “marginal,” so we’re really sifting through the junk to find a session.

Looking at the first week, nothing really stands out. Tuesday the 25th has a tiny 2ft south swell, but it’s onshore wind. Wednesday the 26th shows a bit more push with 4ft at 12 seconds from the south in the morning, but it’s cross-onshore and the conditions are marginal at best. The same story repeats through Thursday, Friday, and the weekend – small waves in the 2ft to 4ft range, with periods varying from short to very long, but the wind is always a problem. Friday the 28th actually has a very long period swell (19 seconds), but it’s only 2ft and the wind is onshore, so it’s a waste of that groundswell energy.

The second week is more of the same, honestly. There’s a real gap in quality here. We get into Tuesday the 1st of September with a 3ft southerly swell, but again, onshore wind kills it. The energy stays moderate throughout, but it’s rarely clean. You could paddle out on Wednesday the 2nd morning for a 3ft south swell in light onshore wind, but it’s a gamble.

Then, right at the tail end of the forecast, on Wednesday the 9th of September, we finally see some real juice. A 4ft swell from the SSE at 14 seconds shows up in the morning, and the combined wave energy jumps up to 1124 – that’s strong energy. But the wind is cross-onshore. By the afternoon, it gets even bigger at 5ft from the south with a 16-second period and an energy reading of 1821. That’s the biggest, most powerful swell of the whole outlook, but the wind is still a moderate cross-onshore from the west. It’s a shame, because with a clean offshore, that would be the session of the window. As it is, it’s only marginal.

To be honest, the best on offer in the entire 16 days is probably the morning of Tuesday the 26th of August. Yes, it’s only 4ft from the south, but the period is 12 seconds, and while the wind is cross-onshore, it’s light at 6 mph. The energy there is 717, which is solid. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but it’s the closest we get to a clean shoulder. If you’re desperate, that’s your window.

Otherwise, this is a long, dry stretch. For a sandbar that’s fairly consistent, it’s a poor run. The bigger swells at the end of the outlook are promising, but with the wind stuck onshore, the setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle. Fingers crossed the forecasts change.

Rusty

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