Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a good look at what's on the table for Sandy Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the outlook is a bit of a tough one. We've got a long stretch of poor conditions ahead before anything remotely rideable shows up. The first real surf recommendation isn't until the morning of Sunday, the 26th of July, and even then it's only a marginal call. So, for the next several days, you're better off keeping the boards in the shed.

The whole first week is a write-off. From Monday the 20th right through to the afternoon of Saturday the 25th, it's all "poor surf conditions" – messy cross-shore winds, lumpy chop, and a general lack of quality. The swell is all over the place, but the wind is the real killer here, constantly blowing onshore or cross-shore, making a mess of everything.

The only glimmer of hope comes in the second week, starting on Sunday the 26th of July. The swell direction settles into a consistent E at 5 ft, with a period of 16 seconds. That's a nice, long-period groundswell. The combined energy is a very strong (2167), which means there's plenty of power in the water. However, the wind is still a fresh cross-shore from the ENE at 19 mph, which keeps the surf in that "marginal" category. It's not going to be clean, but there's enough energy to make it a session for the keen.

Things look a little better on Wednesday the 29th of July. The swell is up to 8 ft from the ENE, with a 12-second period, and the wind finally shifts to a cross-offshore from the NE at 12 mph. This is the standout of the whole 16-day window. The charts show "clean" conditions, and with a solid 8 ft ENE swell, Sandy Beach will have some power. The water temp is about 80°F and feels normal for this time of year. But you need to be ready for it – at 8 ft, this is not for beginners. It's for the experienced crew only. And with the break being "fairly consistent" and "often" crowded, expect a pack out there.

After that, it fades again. The last few days of July and the start of August are back to poor conditions with strong cross-shore winds and smaller, shorter-period windswell. The 14th of August offers a tiny 3 ft swell but with a fresh breeze, so it's another no-go.

So, the pick of the bunch is definitely Wednesday the 29th of July. It's a promising window of cleaner, bigger surf, but it's a long way out, so keep an eye on the forecasts. Everything else is a struggle.

Rusty.

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