Red Strand (Dirk Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down for Red Strand (Dirk Bay). Over the next couple of weeks, we’re looking at a real dry spell to start. This is a sheltered reef, so it needs a proper push to get going, and we’re just not seeing it early on. Water temp is sitting at 18° – a touch warmer than normal for the season.

It all kicks off on Sunday, 23 August, with a tiny 1 ft SSW swell, but with a 14 second period – that’s a long period groundswell, good shape but hardly any push. The morning has a clean cross-off wind from the ENE at 9 mph, but the combined energy is only 70 – very weak. Afternoon gets a little energy bump to 110 but turns choppy. Not surfable.

Monday 24 August is even smaller – 1 ft – with similar long period swell, and wind blows up to 19 mph. The energy is only 83, clean but flat. Tuesday 25 August stays small. We get a brief spike Tuesday afternoon: 4 ft but from the east with a short 6 second period and energy of 94. That’s weak windswell, bumpy, and not worth it.

Wednesday through Friday are all junk. Thursday 27 August sees a 4 ft S swell with period 7 seconds and energy of 192 – moderate energy, but wind is onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy. The sheltered nature of the break means this swell isn’t wrapping well. Poor conditions.

The weekend of 29–30 August gets a little bump. Sunday 30 August morning has 5 ft with a 6 second period, energy of 166, and a clean cross-off NW breeze. But that short period makes the waves weak and fat. More of a kite day if the wind holds.

Then we hit a flat spell from 31 August through to 3 September. Waves drop to 0.3 ft or so, with longer periods but almost no energy. Several days of absolutely nothing.

Things finally wake up around 4 September. Friday morning brings a 4 ft S swell with period 8 seconds and energy jumping to 311 – that’s moderate to strong energy. Wind is light from the WSW at 6 mph, crossing the swell, with just light ripples. It’s workable. The real highlight though is Monday, 7 September. We get 7 ft to 8 ft from the SW with period 8 seconds and combined energy of 759 and 694 – strong wave energy. Wind is cross-off from the WNW at 25-28 mph, and it’s clean. That 8 ft is expert territory, but for those guys, that Monday morning is the only true standout in the whole forecast. The direction is close to the optimum for this reef, so it should wrap in decently.

All in all, the first week is a bust, but if you’re patient, that Monday 7 September session is the one to circle. Big, clean, and strong – but only for the experienced.

Rusty.

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