Shandrani Hotel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at the Shandrani Hotel stretch. It’s a reef break, and it’s one of those spots that needs a lot of things to line up to fire. It’s inconsistent, so when it does work, you gotta make the most of it. The water temp is running about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

Honestly, looking at the next couple of weeks, it’s a pretty grim picture. The first week is basically a write-off. We’ve got swell, but it’s coming from the wrong direction and the wind is just going to tear it apart. Saturday the 8th has some 8ft ESE swell, but it’s wrapped in a fresh cross-onshore breeze, making it lumpy and poor. That’s the theme for the next few days: onshore wind, lumpy conditions, poor surf. The swell energy is moderate at times, around 1504, but it’s all for nothing.

There’s a bit of a hiccup on Monday the 10th, when the swell pushes up to 10ft in the afternoon, but it’s still cross-on and messy. The energy jumps to 3136, which tells you there’s some power, but it’s not going to be anything you’d want to paddle into. This continues through the first week, with poor surf conditions dominating. The only slight reprieve is from Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th, where the wind eases off to a gentle breeze, but the call is still marginal or poor. The swell drops a bit, but it’s still cross-onshore, so it’s not clean.

Now, the second week is where things get interesting, but it’s a long way off. The standout window looks like Saturday the 15th into Sunday the 16th. On Saturday morning, we see a long-period S swell arriving at 6ft with a 19-second period. The energy is building, hitting 2557. By the afternoon, it’s jumped to 8ft with an 18-second period, and the energy is 4921, which is strong. This is groundswell, and at this reef, that long period could be a thing of beauty if the wind plays ball. The wind is onshore, which is a shame, but the sheer size and power of that swell might overpower the chop. It’s a big call, but that Saturday afternoon session is the one that has the potential to be the pick of the fortnight. The swell direction is S, which is a bit off the optimum SW, but close enough.

Sunday the 16th still has some size, around 8ft, but the wind picks up again and it gets lumpy. After that, it drops off and the wind stays on it, so it’s back to poor conditions. There’s a brief blip on Thursday the 20th with some 8ft ESE swell, but it’s short-period and the wind is strong, so it’s just a mess. The energy is back to moderate, around 1014.

So, the long and short of it is: the first week is a total loss. The second week, put a big circle around Saturday the 15th. It’s a long-range call, so treat it as promising, not certain. The long period means it could be epic at this reef, but that onshore wind is a worry. If it cleans up, it’ll be well overhead and powerful. For the rest of the time, you’re looking at a lot of closeouts and blown-out lumps. This one’s for the experienced crew only, too; when it’s pushing 8ft plus, it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Rusty.

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