Sawtell-The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s see what’s cookin’ for Sawtell. The only spot in the mix is Sawtell-The Island, and it’s a proper advanced slab, so this ain’t for the faint-hearted. The water’s sittin’ at 68°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there.

The week kicks off on Saturday, 18 July, with a bit of a soaker – cloudy, southerly wind at 22 mph, and a messy 8 ft ESE swell. The cross-off wind is there, but the energy is wild (1184), and the sets are gonna be lumpy. Not your day.

Sunday, 19 July, fires up proper, but it’s a double-edged sword. Light rain, but the swell jumps to 12 ft from the ESE, period at 10 seconds, and the energy is massive (2814). That’s too big for this break – it’ll be a washing machine even for the best. The wind is cross-off, but the wave size is just plain dangerous. Afternoon is similar at 10 ft (2274). This is a pass for paddling.

Monday, 20 July, is still heavy. Morning at 10 ft (3360) with a southerly wind at 9 mph – cross-off, but again, it’s too much. The afternoon drops to 8 ft (1140), but the wind swings cross, and the quality is poor. Tuesday, 21 July, is the first real standout. Morning glass-off with a light SSW breeze at 3 mph, clean cross-off, and the swell drops to 6 ft from the east (583 energy). The period is 10 seconds, packing decent shape. This is the best session of the week – clean, manageable for advanced surfers, and the wind is near perfect. Afternoon is small and wonky.

From Wednesday, 22 July, through to the end of the month, it’s a long, flat spell. The swell dribbles down to 3 ft or less, and the wind is messy. A few clean moments on Thursday, 23 July, and Friday, 24 July, but the swell is either too small or too weak. The weekend of 25-26 July has a little bump – Saturday afternoon, 25 July, sees a 5 ft south swell (689 energy) with a light southerly breeze, clean and crossed-off. It’s a decent session, but nothing like Tuesday.

The first week of August shows a tiny pulse on Saturday, 1 August – 3 ft SE swell, glassy, clean. That’s a nice little window for a quiet paddle, but the energy is low (217). Sunday, 2 August, is similar but with a risk of storms.

The standout here is Tuesday, 21 July, morning. Clean, 6 ft east swell, light offshore – that’s the one to circle. The rest is either too big, too small, or too windy. The island doesn’t break often, so when it does and the wind plays ball, you go.

Rusty.

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