Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, folks. Rusty here. I'm looking at the 16-day forecast for Sandy Beach, and I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough stretch. The pattern is locked in: a persistent, strong onshore wind and a messy cross-shore chop that's gonna make things ugly for the foreseeable future. The water is sitting at a pretty standard 80°, which is right on the money for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real standout? There isn't one. The whole first week, from Monday the 31st of August right through to the end of the first week, is a write-off. We're looking at 7 ft to 10 ft of short-period, 7 to 8-second ENE wind swell, but it's all blown out by fresh to strong breezes from the ENE. The wave energy is moderate to strong, hitting values like 640, 918, and even 1622, but it's all messy. The wind's cross-shore, creating lumpy, messy cross-chop. It's poor surf conditions, plain and simple. The water's a standard 80°, and there's not a single good wave in the bunch.

Then we get into the second week. There's a tiny glimmer of hope on Monday the 7th of September afternoon. The wind swings to a cross-offshore from the north, still a fresh breeze, but it's enough to clean things up a bit. The swell is a 7 ft ENE groundswell with an 11-second period, and the energy is strong at 1896. It's still only a marginal call, but it's the best we're gonna see. The swell direction is coming from the ENE, which is close to the ESE optimum for Sandy, so the shape might be okay, but it's a beach and reef setup, so don't expect perfection. Crowds are often a problem here, so if you're thinking about it, be prepared for company.

After that, things get worse. The wind switches back onshore, and the swell drops off fast. From Tuesday the 8th all the way through to Tuesday the 15th, we're looking at small, weak, blown-out junk. The swell height drops to 2 ft to 2 ft, the period is all over the place, and the energy is weak (186 to 334). It's a long, blank run of poor conditions.

Honestly, for the whole 16 days, the only session that even hints at being rideable is that Monday afternoon, and it's a marginal call at best. The setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the persistent strong winds and messy waves. For a surfer, it's a tough forecast. You might want to take a break.

Rusty.

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