Sapphire Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Look, I’ll be straight with you. The next 16 days are a proper test of patience for anyone chasing waves at Sapphire Street. We’ve got a long, dry spell with barely a ripple, and the only real window where things line up is a single morning, and even then it’s not going to be pulling anyone out of bed at dawn.

The first week is a write-off. From Wednesday the 5th through to the 14th, we’ve got small, weak, disorganised swell. The energy readings are mostly in the low-to-mid hundreds – think 91, 103, 203 – which is just weak to moderate at best. The waves are around 1ft to 2ft, and the periods are all over the place, mostly in the 13 to 19 second range. That longer period groundswell is there, but with this little size, it’s just not doing anything. The winds are mostly cross-on or onshore, so it’s choppy and messy. There’s a couple of mornings on the 10th and 11th where we get a clean cross-off breeze, but the swell is still tiny and the comment says it all: “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s not why we’re here.

Now, the one standout. The morning of Saturday the 15th of August. That’s the only time in this whole stretch that I’d say is worth paddling out for. The swell bumps up a touch to 2ft, coming from the SSW, and the energy jumps to 326 – that’s moderate, but the key thing is the wind. We’ve got a light SSE cross-off breeze, which is going to leave the surface glassy and clean. The comment literally says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the one. It’s not big, and this is a beach/jetty setup, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but it’s clean and rideable for a beginner. The water is a balmy 73°, which is a solid 7° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you won’t need a thick suit.

After that, it’s back to the same old story. The 16th and 17th are back to marginal, and the 18th through the 20th are just small and weak again. The energy drops back into the low hundreds, and the winds are cross to cross-on. There’s also a brief pick-up in energy to 410 on the afternoon of the 14th, but the wind is onshore and the comment says poor, so that’s a miss.

So, bottom line: mark your calendar for the morning of Saturday the 15th. It’s small, but it’s clean, and it’s the only real chance you’re getting. The rest of the time, you’re better off doing something else.

Rusty.

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