Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a long hard look at what Sandy Beach has in store. I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch for paddlers. The whole 16-day window is littered with strong cross-shore winds and messy conditions, and the first real chance of anything worthwhile doesn’t show up until the very end.

We kick off starting Saturday, September 12th right through the middle of the week, and there’s just nothing doing. The swell is small, bumpy, and we’re stuck with a persistent cross-breeze that’s chopping everything up. The combined energy is moderate at best – bouncing around the 120 to 200 mark – but with 12 to 16 mph winds never letting up, the surface is just junk. Even on Sunday morning of the 13th, with a 3-ft NE swell pushing in, the cross-shore wind kills any chance of a clean face.

By Wednesday, September 16th, things start to get some size, but it comes with a penalty. That afternoon, a long-period 18-second SSW groundswell rolls in showing strong energy of 831, but it’s sloppy. The water’s about average for the time of year at 81° – nothing weird there – but the 22 mph cross-wind keeps the waves lumpy and hard to read. Not worth suiting up.

Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th see the swell really pumping, with heights over 7 ft and combined energy cracking the 1000 mark. That’s strong stuff. But the wind is still ripping between 19 and 25 mph, cross-shore or cross-onshore, and the wave comment says it all: poor. For a beach and reef setup like Sandy Beach, with this much wind and size, my honest call is that this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. If you’re a beginner, stay well clear – 7-ft waves with messy wind is expert territory only.

The pattern holds steady through the next week. Size comes and goes, but the ENE trades don’t let up. The closest we get to something rideable is on Wednesday, September 23rd. You’ve got a solid 7-ft swell from the East with a 10-second period, and the wind finally drops to a moderate 12-16 mph. The combined energy is strong at 958. It’s still cross-shore, but the conditions are described as “marginal” rather than poor. That’s your best option in the whole run – the only day that gets a score above zero. It’s not a standout by any stretch, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, that Wednesday might give you a few lumpy, workable runners.

After that, the final weekend of September just fades back into small, windy mush. So, to sum it up: a long, ugly blank run for most of the month, with a single, okay window on the 23rd. Not our finest period.

Rusty.

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