Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's coming up at Sandy Beach. It's a beach and reef setup that's fairly consistent, but to be honest, this 16-day run is a bit of a dog's breakfast. The wind is just about always messing it up, and the swell doesn't line up cleanly. The water temp is around what you'd expect for this time of year, so no dramas there.

We start off with a bang, but not a good one. Monday the 7th sees a solid 8ft swell from the ENE, packing a heap of energy (2224) – that's strong stuff. But a brisk east wind is blowing straight across it, making it a choppy, poor surf mess. It's a write-off. Tuesday the 8th is more of the same, with a 6ft ENE swell and howling south winds. Not worth paddling out.

The first hint of something better comes Wednesday morning the 9th. The swell drops right back to 3ft but swings to the SSW with a nice long 14-second period. The wind eases to a light breeze. It's still cross-onshore, so the face will be a bit bumpy, but this is the best we've seen. It's marginal, but at least it's small and clean enough for an intermediate to have a poke around. Wave energy is moderate (521).

Then we hit a dry spell. From Thursday the 10th right through to Tuesday the 15th, it's all poor conditions. The swell is either too small or coming from the ENE with short, weak period. The wind is moderate or fresh and always cross or cross-onshore. It's lumpy, choppy, and not worth a second look. A full week of nothing doing.

We get a pulse on Wednesday the 16th with the swell jumping to 5ft from the ENE, but it's only a 7-second period – no grunt. The wind is still cross-shore and messy. It's still poor.

Now, look ahead. Thursday the 17th has a tiny 3ft swell from the SSW, but the period is a very long 16 seconds. That's proper groundswell energy, and for a beach and reef mix like Sandy Beach, a long-period SSW swell can sometimes wrap in and give a clean wall if you get the tide right. Wave energy is moderate (608). The wind is still a moderate cross-shore though, so it's marginal at best. That's our second possible window.

The pattern repeats into the next week. Friday the 18th has more ENE windswell, short period and choppy. Saturday the 19th has another 3ft SSW, 16-second swell with lighter winds, but still cross-onshore. It's marginal again. Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st are poor.

Truth is, there's no standout session here. The best of a bad bunch is likely Wednesday morning the 9th, with that small, long-period SSW groundswell and light winds, or maybe the Saturday the 19th afternoon for the same reason. If you're desperate, you might find a clean little wave on those days. But for the rest of it, the wind is the enemy. If the swell gets up over 5ft with this onshore wind, it's going to be a washing machine.

Crowds at Sandy Beach can be a factor when it's on, but with this outlook, you'll likely have it to yourself.

Rusty.

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