Sandwood Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming for Sandwood Bay over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, but there are some proper sessions if you get your timing right.

Water temp is about normal for this time of year, nothing weird going on. The surf kicks off with a bang. Monday the 24th of August is a beauty. We’ve got a solid 6ft groundswell from the WNW with an 11-second period, and it’s glassy as a mirror from the SSE. The combined energy is 735, so plenty of push. Expect clean, stacked sets all morning. The afternoon is just as good, with 5ft from the WNW and still glassy. That’s the standout of the first week right there.

Tuesday the 25th is a step down but still fun. The morning has a 4ft WNW swell with a light cross-offshore breeze. Clean lines, easy to paddle into. The afternoon drops to 3ft, but the wind goes offshore, so you can still scrounge a wave.

Then we hit a flat spell. Wednesday the 26th through to Thursday the 27th has barely any swell – we’re talking knee-high at best, with combined energy readings as low as 37. The wind is fine on Thursday morning, but there’s no push. A few days of doldrums.

Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th are messy. Onshore wind, lumpy, choppy. Saturday sees a 7ft north swell, but the wind is screaming from the WSW at 22 mph, turning it into a washing machine. The energy is high at 501 to 643, but it’s blown out. This is for the kiteboarders, not us.

Sunday the 30th saves the week. The morning has a 8ft north swell with a cross-offshore breeze, and the energy is back to 735. That’s solid, powerful stuff. Good for strong intermediates and above. The afternoon gets a bit crossed-up, but the morning session is the real deal.

Another small spell from Monday the 31st through to Thursday the 3rd of September. Mostly small, onshore slop. Not worth the drive.

Now for the long-range stuff. Friday the 4th of September shows a massive 10ft NW swell forecast with glassy conditions. The combined energy is 1606. That’s a monster, but it’s simply too big for Sandwood Bay. It’ll be a washing machine. The afternoon pushes 12ft. Only experts, if anyone. Saturday the 5th is pointless again.

Then comes Sunday the 6th of September – a glassy surf day with a 3ft swell from the WNW, but the period is a ridiculous 20 seconds. The energy is 607. That means long, fat, clean lines. It won’t have much height, but the shape will be unreal with that glassy wind. A proper small-wave session for those who love the glide. Monday the 7th is back to a massive 10ft, again too much for this break.

So here’s the takeaway: paddle out Monday the 24th of August and Sunday morning the 30th of August for the best waves in the first week. For the second week, the standout is Sunday the 6th of September for a beautiful, glassy, small-wave day. Anything over 8ft gets too wild for this place.

Rusty.

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