Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you — the next couple of weeks at Sandy Beach are a bit of a grind. The surf’s not totally flat, but the conditions just won’t line up for a decent paddle. We’re looking at a long stretch of cross-shore and onshore winds churning things up, plus the swell direction is mostly from the ENE when the optimum for this break is ESE. It’s frustrating, because there’s some real energy in the water at times, but it’s just messy.

The first real chance to even consider a surf kicks off on Saturday the 5th, but even then it’s marginal. The morning sees a 8ft ENE swell with a 13-second period, so there’s plenty of power behind it — the combined energy is moderate-high at 2489 — but the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the ENE at 19 mph, which is gonna leave it lumpy and hard to enjoy. Water temps are around 81°, which is pretty much average for this time of year.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday the 6th are similar — still pumping with 7ft to 7ft ENE swell and energy in the 2000s, but the wind stays on it, and Sunday swings cross-onshore with a risk of thunderstorms. Not your day.

Monday the 7th through to Wednesday the 9th keep that pattern going: 6ft to 8ft ENE swell, lots of energy, but cross-shore to cross-onshore winds in the 12-19 mph range. The water’s choppy and messy. This setup is more appealing for kite surfing than for paddle surfing, if I’m honest.

Thursday the 10th drops off — the swell dips to 5ft with a short 7-second period, and the wind cranks up to a strong breeze at 25 mph from the ENE. That’s a write-off.

From Friday the 11th through to around Tuesday the 16th, the swell hangs around 6ft to 8ft, mostly from the ENE with periods between 8 and 12 seconds. The combined energy bounces around — some sessions show moderate figures like 474, others like 1370 are stronger — but the wind stays cross-shore, never glassy or offshore. A few of the afternoons get a score of 2 out of 10, which means “marginal,” but nothing you’d drive for.

Then into the second week, from Wednesday the 17th of September onward, the swell drops right off — down to 3ft to 3ft from the SSW, with longer periods of 16 to 17 seconds. That’s a proper long-period groundswell, which at a beach-and-reef setup like Sandy Beach can break too straight and be tricky. The combined energy drops to under 1000, which is weak compared to what we saw earlier, and the wind is still cross-shore at 12 to 16 mph. Again, marginal at best.

Honestly, there’s not one standout day in this whole 16-day window. The only time you might get something half-decent is if the tide lines up on one of those “marginal” afternoons around the 15th or 16th, but with that constant cross-wind, it’s hard to get excited. The best advice? Keep the board in the car and wait for a change in the pattern — it tends not to stay this poor for long around here, and forecasts can shift.

Rusty.

Read more