Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks at Sandy Beach.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch ahead. The overall pattern is dominated by persistent cross-shore winds and messy conditions, with very few windows of opportunity. For the first nine days, from Friday 28 August all the way through to Saturday 5 September, it’s a write-off. The wind is a constant problem—stiff ENE breezes at 18-25 mph, creating lumpy, cross-chop conditions. Surf heights bob around between 3 ft and 7 ft, but the quality is just poor for surfing. The combined wave energy sits in the moderate range, but it’s all windswell with short periods under 8 seconds. There’s a solid gap with no real recommendations until we hit the second week.

The only glimmer comes on Monday 7 September. The morning sees a jump in swell to 8 ft from the ENE, with a period stretching to 11 seconds—that’s groundswell energy starting to show. But here’s the catch: the wind is still a fresh cross-shore from the NE at 18 mph. It’s labelled as marginal, and that’s about right. The swell is getting there, but the wind will keep it lumpy. Not a standout, just a maybe.

The real standout moment is on Wednesday afternoon, 9 September. We get a 10 ft swell from the ENE—that’s a solid pulse of power. But—and this is a big but—it’s likely too big for Sandy Beach, which is a beach and reef setup. The wind is still a fresh cross-shore, so it will be raw and heavy. This is experts-only territory, and even then, it’s a battle. The size is the limiting factor. It’s not a clean, user-friendly day.

After that, the surf settles back into the 4 ft to 7 ft range through to Saturday 12 September, but the wind finally eases. On Friday morning, 11 September, we get a light breeze from the SW at 6 mph and a 6 ft ENE swell. The conditions finally clean up a bit. The Saturday morning on 12 September has an onshore wind from the SE, so that’s no good either.

So, to wrap it up: there is no true standout in this 16-day window. If I had to pick the best on offer, it’s the morning of Monday 7 September for the groundswell, if you can deal with the lumpy wind. The water temp is 81°F with a slight warm anomaly, so it’s about average for this time of year—warm and tropical as usual.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the long-range, and remember the wind is the enemy here.

Rusty.

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