Disappearing Sands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Disappearing Sands. This place is an inconsistent, beginner-friendly, exposed spot that only really works with a solid WNW swell pushing in.

The first half of the 16-day window has some decent size, but the quality is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a run of swell from Saturday the 5th through to Tuesday the 8th, with wave heights holding around 5 ft to 7 ft from the SSW and then swinging to the W. The combined energy is moderate to strong, hitting up to 2068, so there’s plenty of grunt in the water. The period is a nice 11 to 13 seconds, which is solid groundswell – good for shape and power. The problem is the wind. It’s mostly onshore or cross-on from the west, so it’ll be bumpy and not the cleanest. The best of that early run looks like Sunday afternoon (6th) and Monday afternoon (7th). On Sunday afternoon the swell is 5 ft from the SW with a 12-second period, and the wind goes light cross-on from the WNW at 3 mph, making it a bit more workable. Monday afternoon sees the swell peak at 7 ft from the WSW with a 13-second period, and again a light WNW cross-on at 3 mph. That’s the biggest and best-shaped wave of the early window, though it’s still a little onshore. That 7 ft swell is getting into the size where it’s probably too much for beginners, but for the rest of you, it’s the pick of the first week.

Then we hit a real dry spell. From Wednesday the 9th all the way through to Tuesday the 15th, the swell fades to almost nothing – 1 ft to 2 ft for most of that stretch. The combined energy drops to under 300, which is weak. The wind is light and variable, but there’s simply no wave to ride. Wednesday the 16th sees a slight bump back to 3 ft from the SW, but it’s still weak and marginal.

Now, here’s the standout. The real light at the end of the tunnel is Thursday the 17th of September. The afternoon session at Disappearing Sands is looking promising. The swell is still only 2 ft from the SW, but the period stretches to 16 seconds – that’s proper long-period groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 514 (moderate), and more importantly, the wind is forecast to be glassy. Glassy. That’s a rare treat here. Those long-period swells can break a bit straight on a beach break, but Disappearing Sands is exposed to the WNW, so if the swell direction is right, it could link up nicely. The wave height is small, so it’s perfect for the beginners this spot is known for, and with no wind, it’ll be clean as a whistle. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others out, but with such a small forecast, it won’t be packed.

The water temperature anomaly is about average for the time of year, so nothing unusual to report there.

Signing off, Rusty.

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