Sandtracks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks. Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into the outlook for Sandtracks. Now, I’ve got to be straight with you – this is a tough one. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty grim for a proper paddle, so don’t go getting your hopes up. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands.

Starting off from Saturday the 29th of August, the wind is howling out of the ENE at 25 mph, blowing straight across the break. The swell is a weak 3 ft from the S with a long period, but the conditions are just too messy. It’s a write-off.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st stay in the same rut. The wind stays strong and cross, and the waves are a messy chop. You’ll see a bit of size – up to 5 ft – but it’s short period windswell and the cross-shore wind is just killing it. Don’t bother.

The entire first week of September is a bust. Tuesday the 1st through to Saturday the 6th, the story is the same: fresh to strong cross-shore breezes, lumpy conditions, and the odd bit of clean-ish water on the Thursday afternoon and Friday with a light cross-offshore wind, but the swell is small and weak. The energy is moderate (between 566 and 884), but the quality just isn’t there for a proper surf. The water temp is sitting at 81°, which is about average for this time of year.

Then we hit Sunday the 6th of September. The swell starts to build in the morning, with a 8 ft easterly swell and strong energy (1259). By the afternoon, it’s pumping – 10 ft from the east, with a period of 11 seconds, and the energy jumps to 2521. The wind is cross-offshore, keeping the surface clean. That’s a beast of a day, but with 10 ft waves, this is strictly for experts. The setup is a reef, so it’ll handle the size, but it’s not a day for the faint-hearted. This is the one standout in the whole outlook.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Monday the 7th through to the end of the window on Sunday the 13th of September, we’ve got a mix of fresh cross-shore winds and small, weak swells from the south and southwest. The energy drops off a cliff, from 1520 on Monday afternoon down to just 254 by the final Sunday. The conditions are either lumpy or just marginal. You might get a tiny window on the 10th or 11th with a bit of a longer period groundswell, but the size is gone. It’s a full week of nothing.

So, to wrap it up: the only real day to circle on the calendar is Sunday the 6th of September for the experts. The rest is a washout. For the average punter, it’s probably time to wax the kiteboard, because the wind is reliable even if the surf isn’t. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a long wait.

Rusty.

Read more