Sandtracks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee and settle in, because the outlook for Sandtracks is a bit of a rough one, to be honest. We’re looking at a solid 16-day stretch here, but don’t expect to be waxing up any time soon.

The water’s sitting at a warm 80°F which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won’t be shivering while you’re watching flat lines.

The story starts from Wednesday, July 8th, and honestly, the first week-and-a-half is a write-off. The wind is hammering from the ENE at 18 to 25 mph, and it’s cross-shore the whole time, which is just ruining any chance of a clean face. The swell is mostly from the E or ENE, with heights jumping around from 4 ft to 6 ft, but the period is short and weak, mostly 7-8 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at best, hitting around 608 early on, but it’s all just lumpy, cross-chop mess. The forecast is calling it poor surf conditions, and it’s a zero out of ten for days on end. There’s a brief glimmer of a long-period swell from the SSW on Saturday, July 11th, with a period of 18 seconds and energy climbing to 560 and then 619, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft to 2 ft, and that wind is still a problem. That pattern of a little bit of distant groundswell but with a messy cross-wind keeps going through until the middle of the month.

The first real change in the story doesn’t come until Saturday, July 18th. The morning session shows a moderate breeze at 15 mph, still cross-shore, but for the first time we see a “marginal” call instead of pure poor. The swell is 6 ft from the E with an 8-second period, and the energy is moderate at 578. It’s not great, but it’s the best of a bad bunch so far. The next day, Sunday July 19th, the morning push is 6 ft from the ENE, though the period is still short at 8 seconds, and the energy jumps to 868. It’s still cross-shore, but the size is there for a more experienced crew.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is Tuesday, July 21st. The morning shows a 4 ft swell from the S, with a very long period of 16 seconds, and the combined energy hits 1566, which is the strongest we see in the whole window. The wind is a moderate ENE breeze at 12 mph, cross-shore, and the call is marginal. This is a big, long-period groundswell, and at a reef break like Sandtracks, that could actually produce some proper, deep lines. The afternoon is similar, 4 ft from the E, also 16 seconds and 1508 energy. It’s the only time in the whole forecast where the energy is proper strong, but it’s still cross-shore and the swell is only around shoulder-high. It’s a frustrating tease.

Nothing else comes close to that Tuesday spike. The rest of the second week is a mix of small S swells with moderate energy, but the wind never turns offshore, it’s always cross-shore, and the quality stays poor or marginal. The crowd profile at Sandtracks says it’s “often” busy, so expect plenty of company if you decide to paddle out on that Tuesday, but given how rare a decent window is, it’s probably the only day worth checking.

So, overall, the whole 16-day run is a grind. The first 10 days are a total loss. The highlight is Tuesday, July 21st, with that long-period S groundswell. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only day that has any real pulse. For the rest, you’d be better off kiting, because that cross-shore wind is way more use to a kite than a surfer.

Rusty.

Read more