Sandtracks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what's cookin'.

To be real with you, this whole stretch is a tough slog for Sandtracks, a reef break. The first part of the forecast window is basically a total loss. We're talking a solid week of trashy cross-shore winds and poor surf conditions, with some nasty thunderstorms mixed in on the 16th. Water temp is 81°F, which is right on average for this time of year, nothing weird happening there. But the surf? Not worth the walk.

Wave energy is pitiful at the start – a combined energy of just 2273 on the morning of Sunday the 16th, but with a 25 mph cross-on wind from the SE, it's all blown out and choppy. That same pattern of cross-shore wind and bad conditions hangs around until the middle of the next week. That’s a massive gap with nothing on offer for nearly the first ten days.

We finally get a tiny flicker of hope on Thursday afternoon the 20th. The wind goes glassy – dead calm, as smooth as it gets – and there's a 2ft swell from the SW with a long 17-second period. The combined energy is still low (385). It's small but clean. That's pretty much the best we see in the first half, and it's still touch and go.

As we push into the last few days of August, the swell picks up, but the wind refuses to get out of the way. From the 26th on, the swell jumps to 5 to 8ft from the E, with the period dropping to 7-8 seconds, so it’s a short-period windswell. The energy numbers get big – we see 1255 on Sunday the 30th – but it's all blowing under a stiff cross-shore breeze. That means lumpy, cross-chop conditions. The waves are there, but they're ugly. For the more experienced surfers, the 29th and 31st might offer the most size with that 8ft and 7ft swell, but those strong cross-winds make it a battle. The 31st sees the period stretch to 13 seconds, which is better, but the wind is still cross-shore. It’s a grind, not a joy ride.

Honestly, for paddle surfing, this forecast is a downer. With all that onshore cross-wind and building chop in the second week, if you’ve got a kite, you’ll have a way better time out there. There's no real standout. The only moment worth circling is that brief glassy window on the afternoon of the 20th – if you're itching for a tiny, clean wave, that's your one chance, but keep your hopes real low.

Hang tight, forecasts can change, but right now it looks like a long stretch of poor waves.

- Rusty

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