Spew Pits Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s happening at Spew Pits.

The coming 16-day window looks pretty grim for a proper paddle session. The swell is hanging around, but the wind and the quality just aren’t lining up for any of the good stuff. We’ve got a solid run of what the data shows as “poor surf conditions” stretching from the start, with only a couple of days that might raise an eyebrow. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

First up, Tuesday the 4th of August. We’ve got a small northerly swell coming in at 3 ft to 3 ft, with a period of 6 to 7 seconds. That’s a short-period, weak energy pulse (106 to 118 combined energy) – not much push. The wind is a cross-offshore from the NNE at 16 to 19 mph, keeping the surface clean, but the swell is just too weak and short to make for anything fun. The rating is a zero, and it stays that way for days.

Wednesday the 5th pushes a bit more size – 4 ft in the morning, still coming from the NNE, period still only 7 seconds. The energy picks up slightly (187 combined energy), but it’s still “poor surf conditions.” The wind stays moderate to fresh from the NNE, cross-off. No joy.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th see the swell slowly climbing – up to 5 ft on Friday morning, with a period of 8 seconds and a combined energy of 358. The wind remains cross-off from the NNE or N, clean, but the surf quality is still suffering. The “wave comment” remains “poor surf conditions.” The energy is still moderate, but the period is too short for any real shape.

Now, Saturday the 8th of August is the first day that gets a marginal nod. The morning swell is 6 ft from the N, period 8 seconds, with a combined energy of 516 – that’s moderate wave energy. It’s the biggest swell of the bunch so far, but the wind shifts to cross-shore from the N, creating a cross-chop. The afternoon is a bit smaller at 6 ft, but the wind goes full cross, making it lumpy. The morning is the only real look here, but it’s a heavy, short-period wave at an expert reef break. If you’re a local charging, it might be worth a look, but it’s not a session for the faint-hearted.

Sunday the 9th drops off slightly – 5 ft to 5 ft, period 8 seconds, and the wind is cross-shore all day, creating lumpy, messy conditions. Not recommended.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is a long, bleak stretch. From Monday the 10th through to Tuesday the 18th of August, the swell sits between 4 ft and 5 ft, mostly from the N or NNE, period 6 to 9 seconds. The wind is cross-off or cross, but the “poor surf conditions” label never lifts. The only other day that gets a “marginal” rating is Monday the 17th of August – morning sees 5 ft from the N, period of 9 seconds, combined energy 374, and the wind is a moderate cross-off from the NNE at 12 mph. Still not great, but the period is finally getting longer, which means better shaped waves – but it’s not enough to save the session.

The last few days from the 19th of August drop off in size – 3 ft, period 9 seconds, energy 153 – but the wind is still cross-off, so it’s clean but tiny.

There’s no standout session here. The one day that could be a glimmer is Saturday the 8th of August in the morning, with the biggest swell and a clean cross-off wind, but the short period and cross-chop in the afternoon kill it. The best you can say is that if you’ve got to get wet, that morning might give you a few close-out walls. But it’s not a day to get excited about.

If you’re a kite surfer, the strong cross-off and cross-shore winds on the bigger days (especially the 8th and 9th) might be more appealing than paddling out. The reef setup and the wind direction could make for some fun, fast runs.

So, a tough outlook. The swell is consistent, but the quality just isn’t there. It’s a blank run for the most part – and around here, that’s not unusual when the wind doesn’t cooperate.

Rusty.

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