Sawtell-The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. We’ve got a pretty mixed bag coming up for Sawtell-The Island over the next couple of weeks. Nothing crazy to start, but there’s a couple of true standouts on the horizon if you’re patient. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first decent chance comes in on Monday the 20th, but it’s a bit of a write-off with a cross-shore wind and marginal conditions. The next few days are a bit average, with small, choppy surf and onshore winds making things messy. You’ll be battling through Tuesday and Wednesday, with the swell dropping off and the wind not helping.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Saturday the 25th – that’s your standout. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the SSE, and the period is a very long 15 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy is a solid 1090 – that’s moderate-to-strong power. The wind is glassy in the morning, absolutely perfect for surfing. The Island is an exposed point break, so that long-period swell will really wrap in and offer some well-shaped, powerful lines. The only thing is, it’s rated for advanced surfers, so it’s not for the beginners. And with crowds listed as “sometimes”, you might get a bit of company, but it’s worth it. The morning of Saturday the 25th is the best on offer by a long shot.

Sunday the 26th still has some clean, glassy conditions early with a 3ft SSE swell, but it’s a lot smaller. Still a nice session if you’re after a mellow paddle.

After that, we hit a flat spell. From Monday the 27th through to Wednesday the 29th, the swell drops right off, with combined energy down to 20 or less – barely a ripple. That’s a gap of about three days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Things start to perk up again on Thursday the 30th with a 4ft SSE swell and glassy conditions in the morning. Then Friday the 31st sees a similar setup with a 4ft SSE groundswell (12 seconds) and light offshore WNW winds. That’s a clean morning session, but the energy is still moderate.

The real heavy stuff comes in on Monday the 3rd of August and Tuesday the 4th. Monday morning has a 4ft S swell with offshore W winds and clean faces – very good. But Tuesday the 4th is the big one: an 8ft SSE swell, combined energy of 1153, and clean cross-off winds. That’s big, powerful, and only for the experienced crew. The period is 9 seconds, so it’s a bit shorter, but the volume of water is serious. The afternoon holds even more energy at 1856, but the wind turns cross-shore, making it a bit more challenging.

So, to sum it up: the absolute best window is the morning of Saturday the 25th for that glassy, long-period groundswell. The Tuesday the 4th of August is for the experts only, with big, solid waves. The rest of the time, you’re picking through smaller, cleaner windows or sitting out the flat spells. Keep an eye on those long-range forecasts, because the potential is there.

Rusty.

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