Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead for Sandy Beach. The overall pattern is dominated by persistent cross-shore winds, mostly from the ENE, that just won’t quit. For the first several days, the swell is small and the wind is messy, making for poor surf conditions.

We start off on Wednesday, 19 August, with a small 3ft easterly swell at 8 seconds, but it’s blown out by a 16 mph cross-shore wind. The combined wave energy is moderate (207), but it’s a messy cross-chop. Not worth paddling out for. Thursday, 20 August, offers a glimmer: a clean window in the afternoon. The wind switches to a light cross-offshore, and the swell is a tiny 2ft from the SSW with a very long 17-second period. The energy is moderate (287), and while it’s clean, it’s marginal surf. For a patient surfer, maybe a longboard could snag a few.

From Friday, 21 August, through to the end of the month, it’s a grim run. The wind cranks up from the ENE, often hitting 19-25 mph, and the swell is all short-period, cross-shore chop. The wave heights build from 3ft to over 7ft, but the quality is poor – the energy readings spike into the hundreds (595, 751, 727) but it’s just lumpy, messy, and often choppy. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. The swell is too short and the wind too strong for any decent shape.

The one standout, and it’s a long-range promise, arrives on Tuesday, 1 September. The morning has a 7ft ENE swell with a 11-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 1506 – strong wave energy. The afternoon gets even better: 8ft from the E at 13 seconds, with 2512 energy. This is real groundswell, but for Sandy Beach, a beach and reef setup, that long period can make the waves break too straight. The wind is still cross-shore, so it won’t be perfect. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the only shot at something with real power. Wednesday, 2 September, is bigger still – 10ft – but with 25 mph winds, that’s for experts only, and the conditions are messy.

So, the best on offer is that Tuesday, 1 September window. The swell is solid, the period is long, and the energy is high. But don’t expect it to be clean. The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off. Sandy Beach (Big Island) is exposed to the trade winds, and we’re in a pattern that’s not giving us a break. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no cold shock, but that’s little comfort when the surf is this rough.

Stay patient, folks. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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