Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Sandy Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is a tough slog. The wind is a problem. It’s coming from the ENE, which is cross or cross-on here, and it’s fresh to strong, so the ocean is just a lumpy, choppy mess. The swell is there, but it’s wrapped in bad conditions. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year. Nothing to write home about.

We start off from Tuesday the 21st through Thursday the 23rd with small swell around 2 ft to 3 ft from the SSW, but with long periods, 14 to 24 seconds. That’s a lot of energy for not much height, and the combined energy is moderate to strong (465 to 969). Problem is, the wind is ruining it. The surf is just poor. Don’t bother.

Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th see a jump in size to 7 ft - 7 ft, but it’s short-period windswell from the ENE at 7-8 seconds. The combined energy is strong (1009 to 1230), but the wind is howling at 22 to 25 mph from the ENE. This is a classic beach-and-reef setup that’s more interesting for kite surfing than for paddle surfing. It’s messy and poor.

Now, from Sunday the 26th of July right through to Wednesday the 5th of August, things get a little more interesting. The swell drops back a bit, but the periods get long. We’re looking at a mix of E and ENE swell, with heights ranging from 4 ft to 7 ft and periods from 8 to 16 seconds. The combined energy is strong (473 to 1887). The wind remains a cross-wind, but it drops from a fresh breeze to a moderate breeze, and on Thursday the 30th, it’s even a light breeze. The surf is still described as “marginal” due to the cross-chop, but on Thursday the 30th, with a 6 ft, 10-second ENE swell and a light cross-breeze, it’s the best look of the whole period. The combined energy is moderate (770 in the morning). It’s not a standout, but it’s the only window where the conditions are almost clean.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is Thursday the 30th of July. The swell hits 6 ft from the ENE, the period is 10 seconds, and the wind is just a light breeze. The cross-chop will be minimal. It’s only a slight improvement, but on this forecast, it’s the best we’ve got. The crowd profile is “often” here, so you’ll have company, but the quality is low enough that most will stay home. The optimum swell direction for Sandy Beach is ESE, so the ENE swell is a bit off, but it’s close enough to work.

After the 30th, we roll into a gap. Friday the 31st of July and Saturday the 1st of August are poor again, with small swell and strong wind. Sunday the 2nd picks up some size, but it’s short-period windswell and still messy. Monday the 3rd through Wednesday the 5th of August has some 6 ft to 7 ft ENE swell with periods of 9 to 12 seconds, but the wind is a moderate to fresh cross-wind, keeping it marginal. It’s a long wait for a clean day.

Rusty.

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