Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you—this forecast is a tough one for Sandy Beach. We’re looking at a 16-day window, and honestly, there’s no real standout session to get excited about. The first surfable recommendation doesn’t show up until Friday, the 28th of August, and even then it’s only a marginal call. Before that, from now through to Thursday the 27th, it’s all poor surf conditions with messy cross-shore winds and lumpy chop. That’s a solid week of nothing worth paddling out for.

Sandy Beach (beach and reef) is an exposed spot that loves an ESE swell, but the wind is the problem here. We’ve got persistent ENE winds blowing cross-shore, mostly fresh to strong breezes, which just churns the ocean into a cross-chop mess. Even when the swell picks up, the quality is wrecked. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

The first faint glimmer comes on Friday morning, the 28th of August, with a 3ft swell from the east at 16 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means it’ll have some energy and shape, but the cross-onshore wind still makes it lumpy. The combined energy is moderate though, sitting at 915. By Friday afternoon, the swell drops to 4ft from the east, but the period shortens to 15 seconds, and the energy jumps to 1057—still moderate. It’s marginal, not clean. The break is fairly consistent, but with the wind, you’re fighting a lumpy surface.

The weekend of the 30th and 31st of August sees a bigger swell building—up to 6ft to 8ft from the ENE, with periods around 13 seconds. That’s solid groundswell, but it’s still cross-shore winds, and the waves are messy. The energy hits strong levels: 1331 on Sunday morning, 1578 on Sunday afternoon, and 1769 on Monday morning. This is getting into the territory where it’s too big for beginners, and with the wind, it’s only for experienced surfers who don’t mind a battle. The crowd profile at Sandy Beach is often busy, so you’ll have company, but the conditions won’t be worth it.

The real kicker comes on the 1st of September—Tuesday morning—with a 10ft swell from the ENE, period 13 seconds, and near-gale winds from the NNE at 31 to 37 mph. That’s a massive 4950 to 5443 combined energy, which is very strong, but the wind is cross-offshore, so the surface might be clean. However, 10ft is only for experts, and the wind is brutal. It’s also a rain showers day. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one, given the strength of the wind and the size of the swell.

After that, the swell drops back to 5ft to 8ft through the 3rd and 4th of September, but the winds stay cross or cross-onshore, keeping it lumpy. The 5th of September sees a short-period 4ft ENE swell at 8 seconds, which is weak and won’t hold shape.

So, the best on offer? It’s a toss-up between the 28th of August afternoon and the 30th of August morning, but honestly, neither is a standout. The 28th has a cleaner line-up potential with the long-period, but the wind is rubbish. The 30th has more size, but the same wind problem. I’d say the 28th afternoon is the pick, but it’s a low bar. Crowds are likely at Sandy Beach, so don’t expect a quiet session.

Rusty

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