Sponge bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for Sponge Bay.

The next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag. There’s some surf around, but for the first week or so, it’s mostly pretty ordinary – nothing that’s going to get you racing out of bed. The water’s a touch cooler than average for this time of year, sitting at 55°F, which is a bit of a shock to the system when you first paddle out.

Looking at Wednesday morning, we’ve got a small, clean 3ft wave from the southeast with a short 8-second period. The light NE cross-offshore wind is keeping it tidy, but the energy is weak at 138, so it’s pretty soft and gutless. It’s surfable, but only just. The afternoon bumps up slightly to 4ft, but the wind picks up and the period stretches out, making it a bit more of a chore.

Thursday and Friday are a write-off for quality. The swell drops back to under 3ft, and while the conditions are clean, the wave state is just poor. There’s nothing worth paddling out for there.

Now, Saturday morning on the 15th is our first real bright spot before the chaos. It’s glassy, with a slight SW breeze, and we’ve got 4ft of east swell at 8 seconds. It’s a bit short-period, but the clean conditions and light air will make it feel more user-friendly. The energy is moderate at 176, so there’s a bit of push there. It’s not a classic, but for a Saturday morning paddle it’s the best of a pretty weak bunch.

Then the wheels come off. Saturday afternoon the wind swings onshore, and Sunday brings a big jump in size with a full-on storm. 8ft of lumpy, onshore slop with a near gale blowing – that’s not surf, that’s a washing machine. This kicks off a stretch of poor, cross-onshore conditions for the next several days. Monday and Tuesday are just blown-out and choppy, with swell staying over 5ft and winds up at 30-50 km/h. This is a beach and reef setup, and honestly, with this much wind and messy waves, it looks like a better day for kiting than paddling.

After that gunk clears out, there’s a gap of a couple of days where the swell dies right down before the main event arrives. But it’s coming, and it’s a big one.

Mark your calendars for the 19th of August. This is the standout. We’ve got a massive 18ft south swell with a very long 15-second period. The energy is staggering – 18320 – and there’s just a light cross-shore breeze making it glassy. The guidance says wind and tide are favorable, but this swell is predicted to be just too big for the break at Sponge Bay. It’s an expert-only, possibly insane, session. For most of us, it’s a day to watch from the sand. The afternoon on that day is still big but the wind turns onshore, so the morning window is the only one that even looks remotely manageable.

After that beast rolls through, there’s much more manageable groundswell. Thursday the 20th morning is looking very good – 6ft of SSE swell at 13 seconds, with a light WNW offshore wind keeping it glassy and clean. The energy is strong at 1321. That’s a solid, proper surf day. The afternoon is still decent but gets a bit cross-on.

The 21st sees a lovely 5ft SSE swell with a gentle offshore breeze – clean and fun. The morning is the call. The 22nd keeps the good times rolling with another clean swell, 4ft at a long 15-seconds from the SSE. It’s not massive, but the long period and light winds will give some proper, lined-up waves. This is a nice run of wedges and points.

After that, it fades. The 23rd is smaller and clean early, but the afternoon turns to junk. The last few days of the window just get smaller and weaker, down to 1ft and 1ft with poor energy. It’s a flat finish, a bit of a nothing way to end the run.

So, bottom line: if you can only get out once, make it the morning of the 20th, or perhaps the morning of the 22nd. The 19th is a spectacle, but a dangerous one. The early week is a lot of paddling for nothing. Keep an eye on that forecast, though.

Rusty.

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