Sakawa River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the Sakawa River.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty flat opening stretch. The first few days are small and weak, nothing to get excited about. Wednesday the 29th, we’ve got a weak 4ft SW swell but it’s short period and the wind is glassy in the morning, so you could get a few grovelly ones. The energy is weak at 224. Thursday and Friday drop off to tiny, poor surf. Then Saturday and Sunday the 1st and 2nd of August are barely showing anything, with very small swell and mixed wind.

Then we start to see some life. Monday the 3rd of August, the swell picks up to 6ft from the ESE, but the period is a very long 16 seconds. That’s a groundswell, and at a river mouth like this, that long period can make the waves break a bit straight and dumpy. The wind is cross-shore, not ideal. The energy is building, moderate at 1483 on the Monday morning, but the conditions are marginal. Tuesday the 4th pushes even bigger, with 8ft to 10ft SE swell, again with a very long 17-second period. That’s getting into the too-big-for-beginners range, and the cross-shore wind is picking up, making it lumpy. The energy is strong now, hitting 4508 and 5594.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting for the experienced crew. Wednesday the 5th of August, the swell really cranks up to 15ft from the SE, with a very long 18-second period. The wind is cross-offshore in the morning, which is a major positive, giving clean, groomed faces. The energy is very strong at 13091. But honestly, for this river break, that’s too much swell. It’s expert-only territory. The same goes for Thursday the 6th, with 18ft SSE swell and glassy offshore wind in the morning – it’s clean, but it’s a beast. Friday the 7th is still pumping at 12ft, glassy, but again, massive.

After that, the swell slowly drops through the weekend of the 8th and 9th, but the wind turns onshore and choppy, so it’s not a great window. By Monday the 10th, we’re back to small, poor conditions, and the rest of the outlook through to the 13th is flat and weak.

The standout window is the morning of Wednesday the 5th of August. The wind is cross-offshore and clean, the swell is huge, but it’s only for experts. For anyone else, the best of a bad bunch might be the glassy Wednesday morning of the 29th of July, but it’s small.

Water temp is about average for the time of year. No major anomaly to report.

Alright, keep your eyes on that big swell early August, but respect the river. It’s going to be a serious paddle.

- Rusty

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