Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Sandy Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Alright, straight up – I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. The next week and a half is a write-off for decent paddle surfing. We’ve got a solid run of poor conditions starting from Thursday, July 9th, all the way through to Sunday, July 20th. That’s nearly twelve days of messy, lumpy, cross-shore chop. The wind is hammering out of the ENE at 22 to 25 mph basically every day, and it’s staying cross or cross-on, which is just ruining any chance of a clean face. The swell is hanging around 5 ft to 8 ft, but with that short period of 7 to 8 seconds and the wind just tearing it up, it’s all white water and bumps. The combined energy is moderate, sitting between 249 and 1077, but it’s all wasted energy with that wind. For a beach and reef setup like Sandy Beach, this is looking more like a kite session than a surf session for a while.

Now, there is a little glimmer in the second week. On Monday, July 20th, we start to see a shift. The swell drops to 3 ft, but the period jumps right up to 16 to 17 seconds – that’s a very long-period groundswell pushing in from the east. The combined energy spikes up to 1119 and 1435, which is strong, but the wind is still a bummer, blowing 19 mph cross-shore from the ENE. We’re still looking at lumpy conditions, so it’s marginal. The optimum swell direction for Sandy Beach is ESE, so this east swell is on the money direction-wise, but that wind is the killer.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is Tuesday, July 21st. Morning and afternoon both see that long-period groundswell hanging in at 4 ft from the east, with a period of 16 to 17 seconds and combined energy of 1246 to 1612 – that’s strong energy. The water temp is about average for the time of year. But again, the wind is still fresh cross-shore from the ENE at 19 to 22 mph. The wave comment says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” which is fair. That long-period groundswell will produce some nice lines, but at a beach break like Sandy Beach, it might break a little too straight. You’d want to find a bank that can handle it. The crowds here are often, so you won’t be alone, but with conditions this marginal, it might keep the numbers down.

So, bottom line: the first ten days are a total dud. The only real chance to get wet is around July 20th to 21st, but it’s a long way out, so treat it as a promising maybe. The wind will need to play ball for it to be any good. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Read more