Red Strand (Dirk Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. Looking at the whole 16-day window for Red Strand (Dirk Bay), it’s a tough stretch. The forecast is a long run of poor surf conditions, with no real standout sessions to get excited about.

The first recommendation doesn’t pop up until the afternoon of Saturday, August 1st, but even then it’s a tiny 0.3ft swell from the southwest. The water is sitting at 65°, which is 4° warmer than usual, so it’s much warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a nice touch, but the swell is weak – the combined energy is only 8 – and the wind is a cross-on shore breeze, making it messy. The period is a short 8 seconds, so it’s not going to be pretty.

We roll through Sunday, August 2nd, with more of the same: tiny 0.3ft to 1ft swell, cross-on ESE winds, and choppy conditions. The energy is still pathetic, at 9 and 35. Monday, August 3rd, sees a bit of a bump, with a 2ft SSW swell and a combined energy of 108 (moderate), but the wind is cross-shore and the period is a short 8 seconds. It’s still poor. The trend continues all the way through the first week. There’s a moment on the 5th and 6th where the wind goes cross-offshore and it looks clean, but the swell is tiny – 2ft to 3ft on the 5th, dropping to 0.7ft on the 6th. The energy is weak, at 52 to 57, and then 25. It’s a tease.

The second week doesn’t offer much hope. The 9th of August has a glassy morning, but the swell is 0.3ft with a combined energy of 12. It’s flat. The biggest swell appears on the 11th of August, hitting 5ft from the SW with a 9-second period and a combined energy of 420 (strong wave energy). That sounds promising, but it’s a Tuesday afternoon with fresh cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. It’s still rated as poor surf. The direction is SW, which is the optimum swell direction for this spot, but the wind kills it.

The rest of the run is a mix of small, weak, and messy swells. The 16th of August ends the window with 3ft W swell but a 3-second period, which is just wind chop. The energy is a low 19. There are no standouts. A few days in the middle of the second week have some clean winds, but the swell is too small to do anything with. The break is a sheltered reef, fairly consistent and beginner-friendly, and crowds are sometimes an issue, but none of that matters when there’s no rideable surf.

For this stretch, the best you can hope for is a longboard on a clean morning with tiny waves, but even that’s a stretch. The blank run is pretty typical for this area when the swell windows don’t line up. Keep your eyes on the charts, because forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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