Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at the local surf picture for Sandy Beach.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch is a tough one. We’ve got a lot of days with messy, cross-shore winds and just generally poor surf conditions. There’s no standout, world-class swell on the horizon for this break. The water’s warm at 81°F, pretty average for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s comfortable.

We kick things off on Friday, September 4th, but it’s a write-off. Strong cross-shore winds from the ENE at 25 mph with a 4ft S swell, but it's all crossed up and sloppy. The combined swell energy is a hefty 1321, but it’s a waste with that wind. Saturday the 5th sees the swell build to around 7ft from the ENE, but again, fresh cross-breeze and lumpy conditions mean it’s only a marginal call at best. It’s a similar story through Sunday and Monday – the swell sticks around but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, making a mess of things.

There’s a small window for something slightly better on Wednesday the 9th. The swell drops right back to 3ft, but the period is a long 14 seconds from the SSW. With moderate cross-shore wind, it's still only marginal. The energy is weak at 645, so it’s not the day to get excited about. The high point of the whole run might be that Sunday afternoon, the 6th, when a 6ft SSW swell with a 14-second period rolls in, giving us a combined energy of 3434 – that's moderate-strong energy. But it comes with a risk of thunderstorms and a moderate cross-onshore. It’s the best looking set on paper, but the conditions are still far from perfect for a paddle.

For the rest of the second week and into the third, it’s just rinse and repeat. Strong cross-shore winds, lumpy chop, and poor surf quality dominate right through to Saturday the 19th of September. A few days in the middle, like the 17th, see a clean 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period, but the fresh cross-wind spoils it again. A swell that long at a beach setup tends to close out and be a bit tricky anyway.

Honestly, there's nothing here I'd call a standout. If you’re desperate for a paddle, Sunday the 6th is your best bet for some wave energy, but don't expect any classics. Most of this period looks more interesting for a kite surfer than someone on a shortboard. I’d keep an eye on the forecast, because things can change, but for now, it’s a lean run.

Rusty.

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