Sawtell-The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, lookin’ at the forecast for Sawtell-The Island. Let’s get into it.

It’s a slow start for the next week or so, with a lot of small, weak, and messy conditions to work through. The real standout is a solid pulse of groundswell arriving in the second week, and that’s where you want to be pointing your board.

The first real chance to paddle out comes Monday morning, the 3rd of August. Sawtell-The Island sees a clean 4ft swell from the SE, with a 10-second period and a glassy, offshore wind from the NNE. The combined swell energy is moderate at 397. It’s gonna be a classic, clean morning session. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. Grab it while you can though, because by Monday afternoon the wind swings cross-on, and it’s all over.

Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are tiny. Tuesday morning offers a mere 2ft of ESE swell with a short 8-second period, and while the wind is glassy, the energy is weak at 98. Wednesday morning is a little better with 2ft from the E at 10 seconds, and a clean cross-off wind, but it’s still very ordinary. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are much the same story – small, weak, and only really surfable in the early clean hours.

The weekend of the 8th and 9th is a write-off. Saturday morning has a glassy 2ft SSE swell, but it’s raining and the energy is weak at 114. Sunday brings stronger winds and lumpy, poor conditions.

The first half of the next week (10th to 14th August) is a grind. The swell is small, mostly under 3ft, and the winds are often cross or cross-on. A few clean mornings pop up, like Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th, but the waves are tiny and weak. This is a waiting game.

Now, hold onto your board. The real action kicks off on Saturday the 15th of August. The morning looks promising with a 2ft SSE groundswell carrying a 12-second period. The combined swell energy is a solid 209, and with a light cross-off wind from the S, it’ll be clean. It’s a good sign of what’s coming.

But the standout, the one you’ve been waiting for, is Monday the 17th of August. This is the best on offer. The morning brings a 6ft SSE groundswell with a 12-second period, and the wind is glassy from the S. The combined energy jumps to a strong 917. This is a proper, powerful groundswell. For a point break like Sawtell-The Island, that long period will set up nicely. This is advanced-level surf, over 5ft, so it’s not for the beginners.

Tuesday the 18th of August morning is also a cracker, with a 5ft SSE groundswell at a very long 13 seconds, and a dead calm, glassy wind. The energy is high at 774. This is another top-tier session, but again, it’s solid and for experienced surfers.

So, the long and short of it: you’ve got a week of small, mediocre waves to get through, but the payoff is a couple of mornings of proper, clean, powerful groundswell right at the end of the forecast window. Keep your eyes on the 17th and 18th.

Rusty.

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