Sandsend Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down, mates. This is your local surf reporter Rusty, and I’ve got the full 16-day picture for Sandsend Bay.

First up, the water temperature is sitting at 59°F, dead average for this time of year, so don’t expect any surprises in the wetsuit department.

Now, I’ll be straight with you – the next week and a half is a tough stretch for surfing. There’s a big gap of poor conditions right through until the end of July. The only window that gets close to a surfable wave is Friday morning the 24th, with a tiny 3ft swell from the north, but the wind is that cross-offshore WNW breeze at 6 mph, so it’s clean. The swell period is only 6 seconds though, so it’s weak and wobbly – combined energy is just 90 (low). That’s as good as it gets for the first week.

Saturday and Sunday the 25th and 26th have fresh offshore winds, but the swell drops to 1.0ft and 2ft, with energy barely reaching 28 – it’s basically flat with a clean surface. Not worth paddling out for.

Then, on Monday morning the 27th, we get a little bump. The swell hits 3ft from the NNW, period still short at 7 seconds, but the combined energy jumps to 148 (moderate). The wind is cross-off from the WNW at 12 mph, so it’s clean. This is the first day that looks like a proper surf window, but it’s still small and average. The glassy afternoon that same day has 2ft, period 8 seconds, energy 71 – probably better for a longboard if you’re desperate.

But here’s the one standout, and I’m talking about the best on offer in the whole outlook: Friday morning, the 7th of August. The swell is 5ft from the ESE, period only 6 seconds, but the combined energy is 202 (strong). The wind is cross-on from the NNE at 12 mph, so it’s choppy, but that’s a solid amount of water moving. The direction is from the east, which is a good match for Sandsend Bay’s optimum from the NNE. This is the only time in the 16 days where the swell size is over 5ft – it’s getting into intermediate territory, not for beginners. The break is a fairly exposed beach, so with that wind it’s going to be a bit messy. Honestly, with that cross-onshore wind and the size, this setup might be more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

The afternoon of the 7th drops to 5ft, still strong energy at 154, but the same choppy cross-on wind. It’s the best we’ve got in the whole period, but it’s not a classic.

For the rest of the first week of August, it’s all tiny 0.7ft to 1ft swells with clean conditions, but nothing to ride. The forecast is clear that the whole 16 days is a lean run – there’s a massive gap from the 24th of July right through to the 7th of August with only that one Monday morning the 27th offering a marginal wave. The break is fairly consistent, which means it tends not to stay poor for long, but this run is a real test of patience.

Stay hopeful, but don’t expect much. The 7th of August morning is your best bet, but it’s a long way out and those long-range calls are less certain.

Rusty.

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