Sakawa River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for the local stretch.

The start of the period is flat and ugly, so you’re gonna have to be patient. The first real chance for a wave shows up on Monday the 24th of August, but even then it’s not all good. The standout session in the whole forecast is the Monday morning at the Sakawa River. That’s the one to aim for. We’ve got clean 4ft of SSE groundswell rolling in with a long 14 second period, and the wind is glassy. It’s gonna be smooth, with good shape and proper energy for an intermediate surfer. The combined energy is moderate at 663, so there’s enough push to have fun without it being a washing machine. The river mouth setup should handle that long-period groundswell well.

Tuesday the 25th sees a jump in size, with 6ft to 7ft of S/SSE swell, still long period at 14 seconds, but the wind turns cross-onshore and the conditions get a bit lumpy. The combined energy is strong, hitting between 1755 and 1778, so there’s plenty of power, but it’s not clean. The morning is the better call, but it’s marginal at best. This is edging into expert territory if you’re out there in the bigger stuff.

After that, the surf slowly winds down through the week. Wednesday the 26th drops to 5ft, still cross-shore wind, and the energy eases back to 765. It’s surfable but nothing to write home about. From Thursday the 27th right through to the end of August, it’s mostly small, weak, and messy. A few glassy windows pop up on Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, but with only 3ft to 3ft of short-period S swell and weak energy around 122 to 163, you’re really just scratching for something rideable.

We get a brief pulse of cleaner conditions on Monday the 31st of August, with 3ft of ESE groundswell at 14 seconds going glassy in the afternoon. The energy picks up to 539, and it’s a decent option if you’re desperate. Tuesday the 1st of September keeps that clean cross-off wind, but the swell is smaller at 2ft to 3ft.

From there it’s another run of marginal, onshore, or cross-shore wind slop. The surf tries to build again around Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September, with 4ft to 5ft of SSE swell, but the wind is strong and onshore or cross-onshore, ruining the quality. The energy is high, up in the 840 to 913 range, but it’s choppy and messy. By Saturday the 5th of September, the swell drops right off and the period goes long again at 15 to 16 seconds, but with small 2ft to 3ft waves and cross-shore wind, it’s not really doing anything.

So the bottom line: Monday the 24th of August, early morning at the Sakawa River, is your pick. It’s not huge, but it’s clean, glassy, and the swell has proper length to it. The rest of the period is a waiting game with only small windows of average surf.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty

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