Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you. Looking at the charts for the next 16 days, it's a tough one. We're looking at a long stretch of messy, blown-out conditions with nothing really shaping up as a proper session. The outlook is pretty grim, so don't get your hopes up.

The first window shows nothing on offer right now. We've got a long gap of poor surf conditions starting from Wednesday, August 12th, all the way through. The only spot in the frame is Sandy Beach, a beach and reef setup that's fairly consistent, but that doesn't mean it's good.

Right from the start, Wednesday the 12th is a write-off. The wind is howling from the ENE at 19 mph, creating a lumpy cross-chop. The swell is a weak 3 ft from the south, with a long 18-second period. While long-period groundswell usually means better energy, the combined energy is weak at 892, and the cross-shore wind just kills it. The water temp is sitting at 81°, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won't be freezing while you're getting skunked.

Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th are more of the same, with fresh to strong breezes keeping the surface chopped up. The swell gets a little bigger but stays poorly organised. By Saturday the 15th, the swell really kicks up, hitting 10 ft to 12 ft from the ENE, with combined energy surging into the strong range (2,183 to 2,502). But don't get excited. That's a near-gale cross-shore wind, making it a washing machine. At that size, it's strictly for experts only, and even then, the conditions are dangerous and ugly.

Sunday the 16th through to the end of the period is a constant battle. The wind stays on it, mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the swell direction bounces around. We see some south-southwest groundswell pulses popping up around the 20th and again on the 23rd, with periods up to 17 seconds, but the wind is always there to ruin it. The combined energy figures stay low to moderate, usually under 1,000, and it's all labelled "poor surf conditions." The spot is exposed to the swell, but with the wind direction locked in from the east-northeast, it's just not working.

Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, with all that strong cross-shore wind and lumpy, blown-out surf. You're better off leaving the boards in the shed for now. Sometimes the runs are just like this, and you've got to wait for the next one.

Rusty.

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