Sponge bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you about Sponge Bay. Looking at this whole forecast window, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There’s a lot of junky, wind-blown stuff to wade through before we get to the gem, which is hiding way out at the end of the period. Overall, the pattern is pretty messy for the next week plus, with a lot of onshore and cross-onshore winds, particularly in the back half of the first week. The standout is a long-range promise, and we need to be patient for it.

We start off on Tuesday, August 11th, and to be honest, it’s not worth paddling out. Early morning has a small, short-period 5ft SSW swell, but the wind is a light cross-shore and the water is a bit colder than normal at 55°F. The energy is weak, at best. It’s junky. By the afternoon, it gets worse with a cross-onshore breeze and poor conditions. Wednesday the 12th looks like a right-off for surf, with only a weak 3ft SE swell on the morning glass-off. The afternoon gets a little more interesting with a 4ft SE swell and a longer 11-second period, but it’s still nothing to get excited about.

The next few days, from Thursday the 13th through to the following Tuesday the 18th, are mostly a write-off. We get some surfable but very ordinary waves, but the wind and rain just mess everything up. Friday and Saturday get blown out with fresh breezes, and by Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th we get proper onshore winds. Monday afternoon sees the swell bump up to 8ft, but with 25 mph onshore winds, it’s a washout. This carries into Tuesday the 18th, where a big 10ft to 13ft SE swell shows up, but the cross-onshore and onshore winds are so strong that it's just a chaotic, lumpy mess. This isn't surfing; it's a workout. Honestly, this setup looks far more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers.

Then comes Wednesday the 19th. The swell is still a solid 8ft from the S, and the wind is gentler. It’s a marginal call with some cross-shore wind, and the tides might not be kind. It’s a day for the experienced crew to pick through some leftovers, but it’s still not what we’re after.

Now, here’s the good stuff. The standout is on Thursday, August 20th. We’ve got a proper groundswell arriving, with a 8ft SSE swell and a very long 17-second period. The energy readings are huge. It’s going to be powerful. Morning conditions look excellent with light offshore winds and a clean surface. This is the one to wait for. It will be big though, over 8ft, so this is strictly for experts. The crowd factor at Sponge Bay is only "sometimes" busy, so if you time it right, you might have a few sets to yourself. This is a beacon in the storm.

After that peak, things start to settle down. Thursday afternoon has a solid 7ft SSE swell with a 15-second period, but the wind goes a bit cross. It’s still fun, but the morning is the winner. Friday the 21st sees the swell dropping to a cleaner 5ft from the SSE with a 12-second period. It’s a good, clean day for a broader range of surfers. The following weekend drops off pretty quickly, with just small, clean little waves for the loggers.

The second week looks like a fade. The 24th brings in another pulse of long-period, 15-second, swell at 4ft, but it’s small and a bit cross-on. Then the winds pick up again from the E and ESE, and we’re back to lumpy conditions through the 26th. There’s a 6ft SSE groundswell on the 26th, but with 19 mph cross-shore winds, it'll be messy.

So, the takeaway? For the next week, save your energy. The one true standout is the morning of Thursday, 20th of August. That’s the big, long-period groundswell with clean offshores. It’s a session for the experienced, and it looks promising, but long-range forecasts can change. Keep an eye on it. After that, it’s all smaller and more inconsistent. Signing off.

Rusty

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