Sakawa River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. First up, let’s be honest—the next week or so is a write-off for any decent surf at Sakawa River. Glassy mornings and tiny 1ft swells with weak wave energy (50) are about all we’re looking at through Wednesday, August 19th and beyond. The water’s sitting at 81°, about average for this time of year—nothing unusual there.

From Wednesday the 19th right through to Saturday the 22nd, it’s all poor surf conditions. Swell stays small, around 1ft to 2ft, coming from the SE or S with short periods around 9 to 10 seconds, and cross-on winds messing things up. Minimal energy (values between 45 and 80) means there’s just nothing doing.

Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th are much the same—1ft SE swell, glassy early on Monday morning but still weak energy (90) and really ordinary conditions. Not worth paddling out for.

Then things start to change. Tuesday the 25th sees the first pulse of real swell—4ft from the SSE with a long period of 14 seconds and moderate energy (1192). Wind is light cross-shore. The surf is just marginal, with questionable tide conditions, but at least there’s some push. It builds into Wednesday the 26th: 8ft S swell, 16-second period, strong energy (3578). Still marginal though—wind is cross or cross-on, and that size is pushing into expert territory for this spot. Thursday the 27th morning looks glassy with 10ft S swell and very strong energy (3227), but it’s heavy rain rolling in. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers though. Thursday afternoon is the standout: 15ft S swell, 15-second period, massive energy (6983), and a clean offshore breeze from the NNW. This is the best on offer—big, clean, and only for the experienced crew. The river mouth setup should handle that long-period groundswell well.

Friday the 28th drops a little—12ft S swell, lighter cross-shore in the morning, but the afternoon cleans up with cross-offshore WSW wind and 10ft from the SSE. Still solid and clean for those who know what they’re doing. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th ease off to 5ft and 4ft SSW swell, glassy conditions, and moderate energy (658–486). Good, clean waves for intermediate surfers—definitely worth a session.

Monday the 31st fades back to 3ft and poor conditions, and then Tuesday September 1st throws up another big one: 8ft SSE swell, 16 seconds, strong energy (3548) in the morning, then 13ft SE swell, 15 seconds, very strong energy (7656) in the afternoon—but it’s cross-shore wind again, making it messy for paddle surfing. That afternoon is more for the kite crew. Wednesday September 2nd drops to around 6ft to 6ft S swell, still cross-shore, and the week finishes off weak and small into Thursday and Friday.

So if you’re keen, target Thursday the 27th afternoon for the standout—it’s big, clean offshore, and a proper groundswell. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are the best bets for intermediate surfers with clean glassy mornings. Crowds? The break is “sometimes” busy, so you might have company on those cleaner days.

Rusty

Read more