Spew Pits Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’ve got a 16-day window that starts with a real stinker and only shows a tiny flicker of life way down the line. The swell is around, but the wind is just about always in the wrong direction, keeping things messy and hard to ride.

The first few days from Tuesday the 28th right through to early August are a write-off. The swell is small and weak, with a combined energy that barely gets into the moderate range (126 to 205). The wind is blowing hard from the north or north-northeast, mainly cross or cross-offshore, but the waves are just too short-period and weak to offer any kind of rideable shape. You’re looking at a solid week of poor surf with nothing to get excited about. The water temperature is sitting around 73°F, which is about 2°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s a touch on the balmy side, but that’s the only good news.

We then roll into a couple of days, the 4th and 5th of August, where the swell tries to build. On Tuesday the 4th, the morning shows 4 ft of north swell with a combined energy of 284, but the period is still short at 7 seconds. The wind is fresh cross-off, so it’s clean, but the waves just don’t have the grunt. By Wednesday the 5th, the swell pushes up to 5 ft in the morning (energy 296) and then 6 ft in the afternoon (energy 408), and it’s still clean with cross-off winds. But the period is still a measly 7 seconds, so it’s all close-out, crumbly stuff. The surf quality is still rated as poor, so it’s not a goer.

Now, the only real standout, and I mean the *only* one worth mentioning, is a brief window on Thursday the 6th of August. The swell settles in at 7 ft to 7 ft from the north-northeast, with a period finally stretching to 8 seconds. It’s a full head high plus, and the energy jumps up to 735 in the morning and 616 in the afternoon. The wind is cross-offshore and only a moderate breeze, so the conditions are clean. This is the only time in the whole 16 days where the conditions are in the ballpark. The catch? At 7 ft, it’s getting into that zone where it’s better suited for experienced surfers, and the period is still fairly short, so it’s not going to be your classic, long-lined point break wave. But for a spot that’s been blown out for over a week, this is your best shot.

The spot is Spew Pits, an expert-level reef break that’s consistent and exposed to the north-northwest swell. It gets the best from a north-northwest direction, and this swell is coming from the north-northeast, so it’s not the absolute optimum angle, but it’s close enough to put some energy into the reef. Remember, it’s an expert wave, so don’t paddle out if you’re not ready for a proper reef setup. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others with the same idea, but it won’t be a circus.

After that fleeting moment on Thursday the 6th, the quality drops right back off. The swell stays similar in size, but the wind turns onshore or cross-shore again, and the wave comment goes back to “poor surf conditions.” The 7th of August shows a clean morning but then a lumpy afternoon, and from there, it’s a steady grind of windy, poor-quality surf right through to the end of the forecast on the 12th of August.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a total loss. The only real chance to get a clean wave is on Thursday the 6th of August at Spew Pits. It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got. Everything else is a frustrating mix of wind and weak swell. Keep your eyes on the forecast, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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