Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s cooking across the next 16 days for Sandy Beach. Honestly, I’d usually be buzzing to talk about this place, but looking at the charts, it’s a tough one. The whole stretch is a write-off for good, clean waves.

We start off Thursday, July 30th, and straight away it’s a no-go. The wind is ripping from the ENE at 16 mph, cross-on, with a short-period 5 ft swell from the same direction. The water’s sitting at 80°, which is about average for this time of year, but the surf is just choppy and messy. The combined energy is moderate (399), but it’s all windswell with no shape. That afternoon, the swell drops to 2 ft but the period jumps to 18 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. But with 19 mph ENE winds, it’s just lumpy and poor. Zero chance of a decent wave.

Friday, July 31st, through the weekend and into next week, it’s the same story on repeat. The wind stays locked in from the ENE, blowing 22 to 28 mph. The swell builds from 6 ft up to 10 ft by Saturday afternoon, but it’s all short-period 8 seconds and blowing straight across or onshore. The combined energy spikes into the strong range (up to 1439 on Saturday), but that’s just raw power with no quality. This is a beach-and-reef setup, and with that much wind and junk, it’s honestly more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The waves will be blown out, cross-chop mess.

We get a bit of a break in the wind on Monday, August 3rd, down to 16 mph, but it’s still cross-shore, and the swell is 5 ft to 6 ft of short-period mush. Not worth paddling out for.

On Tuesday, August 4th, the period lifts to 11 seconds on a 5 ft ENE swell, and the wind drops to 12 mph. The wave comment is “marginal” – it’s a sniff of something, but still cross-shore chop. The energy is moderate (688). Definitely not a standout.

From Wednesday, August 5th, through to the end of the forecast, the swell gets smaller, dropping to 1 ft to 5 ft, and the wind stays mostly from the ENE, rarely letting up. The few moments with light winds, like Thursday, August 13th afternoon with 6 mph ESE, only have a tiny 2 ft swell. There’s nothing here that will get your heart racing.

So, to be straight with you – there are no good surf options in this 16-day window for Sandy Beach. It’s a long, blank run. The wind is just relentless from the east, and the swell direction is all wrong for this spot. The break prefers an ESE swell, and we’re getting ENE to E windswell or long-period groundswell from the south that gets ruined by the wind. It’s one of those stretches where the forecast can change, but for now, leave the board at home, or if you’re desperate, bring a kite.

Rusty.

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