Spanish House Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Spanish House. Honestly, I gotta be straight with you – this one’s a tough stretch. The forecast is pretty grim for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands, with hardly any surf worth paddling out for. The first real chance of anything even remotely rideable doesn’t show up until Friday the 28th of August, and even then, it’s only just barely surfable.

The overall pattern is just flat, weak little dribbles of swell, mostly from the east, and the wind is consistently blowing from the wrong direction or too strong. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Let’s break it down. From Saturday the 22nd right through to Thursday the 27th, it’s basically a write-off. Tiny waves, mostly 0.7ft to 1.0ft, with poor conditions. The wind is either howling onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. There’s a couple of glassy mornings on the 23rd and 24th, but the swell is so small it’s just not worth the effort. The combined energy is pitiful, mostly in the teens and twenties (18 to 39), which is barely a ripple.

Then we get to Friday the 28th of August. The morning shows a glimmer of hope. The wind is glassy – dead calm – and the swell bumps up to a mere 1ft from the east. The combined energy climbs to 41, which is still weak, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and I’d call that a win in this context. It’s a beginner-friendly wave, but don’t expect any power. The swell period is a short 9 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and soft. Afternoon turns into an onshore mess again.

Saturday the 29th of August morning is also glassy with 2ft, but the energy is lower (36) and the period is still short. It’s clean, but tiny.

After that, it’s back to the same old story. The swell tries to pick up a bit on the 30th with 3ft, but the wind is onshore and the period is a shocking 5 seconds – that’s pure wind chop, not surf. The energy is 73, which is still weak. The following week shows a few more pulses with longer periods (14-19 seconds) and slightly higher energy (104-117), but the wind is always onshore or cross-onshore, ruining any chance of a clean wave. The 31st of August and 1st of September have some long-period groundswell, but it’s hitting the beach with onshore winds, so it’s going to be a close-out mess.

So, the standout? There isn’t a proper one. The only nod goes to the morning of Friday the 28th of August. It’s the only window where the stars align – glassy conditions and a tiny bit of swell. If you’re desperate for a paddle and a few ankle-snappers, that’s your moment. The rest of the period is a bust. The crowds at Spanish House are “sometimes” an issue, but honestly, with conditions this poor, you’ll probably have it to yourself.

We’ve got a solid 6-day gap from the start with no surf, and then a lot of days with nothing worthwhile. It’s the kind of stretch that reminds you why we appreciate the good days.

Rusty.

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