Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Sandy Beach.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 79°F right now, which is bang on average for this time of year – nothing to complain about there.

Now, I’ll be straight with you: the next week and a half is a pretty grim run for any decent surf. From Thursday the 16th right through to Sunday the 26th of July, the forecast is a long stretch of poor conditions. The swell is constantly crossed up by a strong onshore or cross-shore ENE wind, blowing 15 to 25 mph most days, and the wave comment is consistently “poor surf conditions.” The combined energy doesn’t matter much when the wind is trashing it. There’s a tiny bit of long-period SSW groundswell sneaking in mid-week (2 ft at 16–17 seconds on the 16th, and 2 ft at 23 seconds on the 22nd), but with that ENE wind, it’s gonna be messy and choppy. Not worth paddling out for.

The only real standout – and I mean the only one worth circling on the calendar – is Tuesday the 28th of July. The swell pumps up to 10 ft from the ENE at 14 seconds, with the combined energy hitting a massive 3667 to 3593 (very strong energy). The wind turns light and variable, shifting to NE at 12 mph, described as “cross” – that’s actually decent for this spot. The wave comment says “wind and tide favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break.” And that’s the truth: 10 ft is expert territory, especially for a beach-and-reef setup like Sandy Beach. It’s a fairly consistent break, but at this size, only the experienced crew should be looking at it. Crowds are often around here, so with a rare big swell, expect it to be busy with the chargers.

The long period groundswell (14 seconds) will give good shape and energy, but at a beach break, it can make things a bit lined up and trickier. The direction is ENE, and the optimum swell is from ESE, so it’s not a perfect match, but when the swell is this size and the wind is light, you take what you get.

After that, the 29th is still big (11 ft, NE) but the wind starts to get messy again, and by the 30th it drops off fast. So really, the 28th is your window.

Otherwise, this is a long blank run. The forecast can change, but for now, mark that Tuesday the 28th and hope for the best.

Stay keen,
Rusty

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