Red Strand (Dirk Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – looking at this 16-day window for our patch, it’s a real quiet stretch. The forecast shows a whole lot of nothing for a long time, with only a tiny flicker of something bigger right at the very end. We’ve got a long gap of small, weak surf for the first two weeks.

The only spot we’re looking at is Red Strand (Dirk Bay). This is a sheltered reef setup that’s fairly consistent and best for beginners, but it can get a few folks in the water sometimes. The water temp is sitting at 65°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

From Saturday the 8th of August all the way through to the end of the third week, it’s a frustrating run. The swell is tiny, mostly 0.3ft to 2ft from the SSW or SW, and the period is all over the place – short and weak or long and lacking any real push. The combined energy is low, often in the single digits or teens (28 to 58), and the wave comment is consistently “poor surf conditions.” Winds are all over the compass, but mostly cross or onshore, keeping things choppy and messy. There are a few windows of clean, offshore winds – like the morning of Friday the 14th with a light NW breeze, and Saturday the 15th morning with a light NNW offshore – but the swell is just too small (0.7ft to 1ft) to make anything worthwhile. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

Now, if you’re patient and looking for a real long-shot, keep an eye on Saturday the 22nd of August. The morning shows a 1ft SSW swell with a very long period of 16 seconds and a clean, moderate offshore wind from the north. The combined energy climbs to 89 (moderate). This is the closest we get to a standout, but it’s still small. That long-period groundswell will be best on this sheltered reef, as it can straighten out at a beach break. However, by the afternoon, the wind swings onshore and messes it up. The following Sunday the 23rd afternoon shows a jump in size to 4ft from the SSW, but it’s a short 5-second period with a fresh cross-onshore wind and energy at 170 (moderate). That combo is going to be lumpy, messy, and frankly, looks more like a kite-surfing setup than anything for a paddle board. Beginners should steer clear of that 4ft as it’s pushing the limit.

So, to sum it up: don’t hold your breath for most of this outlook. The best chance for a clean wave on offer is the morning of the 22nd, but it’s small and a long way off, so treat it as a promising but uncertain prospect.

Rusty.

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