Spew Pits Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days at Spew Pits are a real mixed bag, and honestly, most of it is pretty grim. This spot is a hardcore expert reef break that’s consistent, but the conditions are going to fight you every step of the way. The water is sitting at 72°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We kick off on Saturday, July 11th with tiny, weak surf. The morning brings a bit of 2ft swell from the north with a short 5-second period, and the combined energy is a measly 34 – that’s barely a ripple. There’s a light cross-offshore breeze, so it’s clean, but the wave comment says it all: poor surf conditions. Not worth paddling out. The afternoon is even worse, with a cross-on wind and choppy mess.

Sunday the 12th shows a slight pulse. The morning has 4ft from the northwest with an 8-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 176 (moderate). The breeze is gentle and cross-off, so it’s clean, but it’s still just “surfable waves with very ordinary conditions.” The afternoon gets bigger at 4ft, but the wind swings cross-shore and picks up to 25 km/h, making it lumpy. Not great.

Monday the 13th is a repeat of similar 3ft to 3ft NW swell, clean in the morning but with a moderate breeze chopping things up later. The energy is still moderate (176 and 138). Honestly, nothing to get excited about.

From Tuesday the 14th through to the end of the first week, the swell stays small and weak, with energy dropping from 102 down to 33. The wind is almost always a moderate to fresh cross-offshore breeze, which keeps the surface clean, but the waves are tiny and weak. The best you could say is it’s clean, but the wave comment keeps calling it “poor surf conditions.”

Now, here’s where it gets interesting, but not in a good way. From Thursday, July 16th, the swell starts to build. Thursday morning sees 5ft from the north-northeast with a short 7-second period, and the energy climbs to 230. But the wind is a fresh 30 km/h cross-offshore, which is howling. The waves are poor, and the comment says it. The afternoon is 5ft from the north, still short period, energy at 297. This trend continues into Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th, with the swell hitting 5ft to 6ft from the north, period at 8 seconds, and energy ramping up to 390-398. The wind is a fresh cross-shore, making it lumpy and chop. This is not paddle-surfing conditions – it’s a mess. For a reef break, this kind of cross-shore wind and short-period swell just doesn’t line up. If you’re into kite surfing, this setup might look more interesting than paddle surfing.

Sunday, July 19th, the swell pushes to 6ft-6ft from the north, period 9 seconds, and energy jumps to 525-600. The wind is still fresh and cross-shore, creating a lumpy cross-chop. The waves are still poor. Monday the 20th sees the biggest swell of the forecast – 7ft from the north, period 9 seconds, energy at a strong 771. But again, the wind is howling cross-shore, and the conditions are described as “fresh cross-shore with lumpy cross-chop.” This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a battle.

Tuesday, July 21st, the swell drops back to 6ft, still from the north, and the wind finally shifts to a cross-offshore breeze at 30 km/h. The comment changes to “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” which is the best we’ve seen. The energy is still strong at 568. This is the closest thing to a standout, but it’s still a long way off (nine days away) and the confidence is low. The morning might be worth a look for experts only, but the wind is still fresh.

The rest of the second week, from Wednesday, July 22nd, to Sunday, July 26th, fades back to 3ft to 5ft north swells with moderate to fresh cross-offshore winds. The energy drops from 418 down to 133. The comments flip between “marginal” and “poor.” Nothing to plan a trip around.

So, the bottom line: if you’re an expert and you’re desperate, Tuesday, July 21st morning might be the best of a bad bunch – 6ft north swell, clean cross-off wind, but with a strong energy (568) and questionable tides. It’s the only real standout, and it’s a long shot. Everything else is blown out, undersized, or both. This is a tough stretch for Spew Pits.

Rusty.

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