Sandtracks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Overall, it's a pretty tough stretch at Sandtracks (reef). The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there. The trouble is, for the first week and a half, we're looking at either next to nothing or conditions that are just plain ugly. A lot of small, weak swell with strong cross-shore winds that'll chop things up. There's a solid run of poor conditions from the very start, Wednesday the 19th of August, with a tiny 2 ft SW swell with a 16-second period. The energy is weak (340). It's not worth paddling out for.

Things don't get any better for a while. The wind is relentless, mostly from the ENE and fresh to strong, keeping the surface lumpy and messy. The swell stays small until the 23rd of August, when it pushes up to 5 ft, but it's a short-period 7-second wind swell, and the wind is still howling. That's a kitesurfing setup if I've ever seen one, not a paddle surf. This continues right through to the end of the month. There's a long gap here with no decent surf on offer.

Now, the real standout is way out in the distance. On the 1st of September, things start to get interesting. We've got a proper jump in the combined swell energy, reading 1924, which is strong. The swell is from the ENE at 7 ft, with a period of 11 seconds early on, and it's building. The wind is still cross-shore from the ENE, but it's a moderate breeze, so the conditions are marginal. The 2nd of September sees the biggest swell of the whole forecast: a 8 ft E swell with a 13-second period, and the energy is very strong (2393). The wind is cross-offshore from the NE at 25 mph, which is actually cleaning things up. This is the standout window. It's a solid, powerful groundswell, but it's a big one. Over 8 ft, this is experts-only territory, and the long period might make it break a bit too straight on the beach. But for the crew who know what they're doing, this is the best bet by far.

The 3rd of September still has some size, but the wind swings back to a near gale from the ENE, and the quality drops right off.

So, my pick is to wait it out. Forget the first week and a half. The window to circle is the 1st and 2nd of September. It's a bit of a long-range call, so keep an eye on the models, but that's where the juice is.

Rusty.

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