Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s take a hard look at what we’ve got for Sandy Beach over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – the forecast is a bit of a rough one for paddle surfing.

The whole run starts off rough and stays pretty average for a long stretch. We’re looking at a solid gap of poor conditions, with the first real glimmer of something different showing up only on September 9th. But even that is marginal at best.

From the get-go on September 6th, Sunday morning, it’s a write-off. We’ve got a 7ft swell from the ENE with a 12-second period, but it’s being hammered by a 19 mph cross-onshore wind from the ENE. The combined swell energy is high, reading 1951, but with that wind it’s just lumpy, messy, and poor. The water temp is about average for this time of year. Sunday afternoon, Monday, and Tuesday are more of the same – decent swell size but always with that cross-onshore or cross wind making a mess of things. The energy values stay high, between 1889 and 2233, but it’s not surfable for a paddle board. Honestly, with that much wind and that kind of chop, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than traditional surfing.

Wednesday September 9th morning is the first sign of a change. The swell drops to 3ft from the SSW, with a long 14-second period. The combined energy drops to 526, which is weak. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the ESE at 6 mph. It’s still just a marginal surf forecast, with only a score of 1 out of 10. It’s not good, just less bad than everything else.

Thursday the 10th through September 16th is a long, bleak stretch. Swell hangs around from the ENE, mostly between 3ft and 5ft, but the wind never lets up. It’s a constant cross or cross-onshore breeze from the ENE or NE, with speeds picking up to 19, 22, and even 25 mph. The combined energy values stay in the moderate to weak range, from 140 up to 773, but the wind just ruins any chance of a clean wave. The swell period is short, around 7 to 8 seconds, which is just poor quality, weak windswell. Everything is labelled “poor surf conditions.” This is a proper drought.

Then from September 17th through the 21st, the swell direction swings to the SSW, with a long period of 14 to 18 seconds. The swell height is small, between 2ft and 4ft. The combined energy sits in the moderate range, from 385 to 773. But here’s the killer – the wind is still howling from the ENE and NE at 19 to 25 mph, which is cross-shore. So while that long-period groundswell from the SSW is a promising sign for points and reefs in theory, here at Sandy Beach, which is a beach and reef setup, the strong cross-shore wind just makes it lumpy and messy. It’s still labelled as poor.

The only real stand-out, and I’m using that term loosely, is that Wednesday morning on September 9th. It’s the only time the wind drops to a light breeze and the conditions aren’t a total disaster. But it’s a 3ft marginal wave. It’s not a classic day.

So, the honest truth for Sandy Beach: there’s no true standout. The best bet is to keep an eye on that Wednesday the 9th for a small window of cleaner, but still marginal, surf. After that, it’s a long wait. Conditions like this are fairly normal for the area when the trade winds lock in, so this kind of blank run isn’t unusual. Forecasts can change, so don’t lose hope entirely, but for now, it’s a tough watch.

Rusty.

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