Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here, looking at what’s heading our way.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – we’re looking at a long, grim stretch, and it’s gonna test your patience. For the first twelve days, from Thursday the 10th through to Monday the 21st of September, it’s a write-off. We’ve got persistent cross-shore winds, mostly from the ENE, blowing at a solid 15 to 25 mph. The swell’s all over the place in size but the quality is just not there. It’s all labeled as “poor surf conditions” and honestly, the combined swell energy is low to moderate, mostly between 117 and 985, but the wind is just wrecking everything into lumpy, messy cross-chop. For a spot like Sandy Beach, exposed as it is, this is just a no-go. You’d be better off finding a flat-water spot or, to be honest, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing right now.

Now, I see a little glimmer towards the very end of the forecast. On Tuesday the 22nd of September, things start to change. The surf is still nothing special – it’s a “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions” situation with a score of only 1/10. But the wind backs off. Tuesday morning we get a gentle breeze from the E at 9 mph, and Tuesday afternoon the wind drops to a light breeze from the ENE at 6 mph. The swell picks up to a consistent 5 ft to 5 ft from the ENE with a period of 10 seconds, giving a moderate wave energy of 559 to 586. It’s still cross-onshore, but with the wind that light, you’ll get small wind ripples, not full-on chop. It’s not the standout, but it’s the most surfable day in over a week.

However, the true, and I mean *true* highlight comes on Wednesday the 23rd of September. This is the one. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the E, with a long-period of 12 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is very strong, hitting 1311. The morning has a moderate cross-onshore breeze (12 mph) which will keep it a bit messy, but by the afternoon the wind shifts to cross-shore and lightens to a moderate 15 mph, leading to a cross-chop instead of full-on chunk. The forecast kicks up to a score of 2/10, which is the best we see. This is the standout of the whole 16-day window. That long-period east swell will produce some decent lines at Sandy Beach, though it might break a bit straight being a beach and reef setup. For the experienced surfers out there, this Wednesday afternoon session is the one to circle.

After that, Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th of September are again marginal, with the swell dropping off and lighter but onshore winds. Nothing to get too excited about.

Overall, it’s a rough run, but that Wednesday the 23rd is your big payoff. Keep your eyes on it, but remember this is long-range so it’s promising but less certain. Hang in there.

- Rusty

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