Sandy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s coming up for Sandy Beach.

The story here is a tough one. We’re staring down a long, ugly stretch of onshore and cross-shore winds that are going to wreck just about everything. The opening days are a write-off – Friday the 24th through to the end of that first week are all about strong, messy, cross-shore winds whipping up a lumpy cross-chop. The swell is pretty weak to moderate at first, with combined energy readings around 1064 to 1101, and it’s coming from the ENE with a short, choppy period of 7 to 8 seconds. Don’t even bother. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so at least that’s not weird.

We finally get a little glimmer of hope on Tuesday the 29th of July. The morning shows a solid 12 ft of swell from the ENE, with a period of 11 seconds and a combined energy reading of 2727 – that’s a lot of power. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, and the forecast says the wind and tide are favorable, but here’s the kicker: that 12 ft is just too big for this break. This is a beach and reef setup, and that kind of size is for experts only. It’s going to be a washing machine unless you’re really, really good. The afternoon turns to onshore and gets messy again.

After that blast, it’s back to the grind. From the 30th of July all the way through the 8th of August, we’re stuck in a pattern of cross-onshore and cross-shore winds, with the swell dropping back to 3 ft to 6 ft and periods of 10 to 16 seconds. The combined energy drops right off, mostly under 1000. The 10th of August shows a bit of energy from the NE at 5 ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s only marginal at best. The long-period groundswells that show up on the 2nd and 3rd of August (16 seconds) are technically classy, but with the wind howling cross-shore, they’ll be a lumpy, choppy mess.

Forget the first week. The only real standout in the whole 16-day window is that Tuesday the 29th of July morning session. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s the only time the wind is not totally ruining the works. But you’ve got to be an expert. The rest of the run is a long, frustrating gap of poor conditions. If you’re looking for a clean, fun wave, you’re not going to find it here.

Rusty, signing off.

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