The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s ahead for The Spit.

To be straight with you, the next 16 days are a tough watch. The Spit is a river mouth setup, exposed to easterly swells, and the forecast is a long stretch of small, weak, messy surf. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is about average for this time of year, so that’s one thing that’s not working against us.

The first few days, starting Wednesday the 2nd, are a write-off. Tiny swell, around 2ft to 2ft, and the wind is all over the place – cross-off in the mornings but then turning cross or onshore, with a fresh breeze by afternoon. The energy is weak, just 60 to 80 (combined energy of all swells directed here). It’s clean early on Wednesday morning, but with those tiny waves, there’s nothing to ride.

Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are more of the same. Swell drops to 1ft, energy below 50, and the wind goes cross-on or onshore by the afternoon. Not worth paddling out.

Saturday the 5th is a bit of a joke. Morning has 1.0ft, then the afternoon brings a sudden shift to 3ft from the NNE, but with a period of only 4 seconds – that’s wind chop, not surf. The wind is howling at 30 km/h from the north, making it a lumpy mess.

Sunday the 6th is the first time we get a “surfable” rating, but it’s still very ordinary. 2ft in the morning, clean with a cross-off breeze, but the swell is short-period and weak. Better than nothing, but you’d be scraping.

Monday the 7th morning is a tease – glassy conditions, 1.0ft, but it’s just flat. The afternoon turns cross-on and choppy.

Through the rest of the first week and into the second, it’s a grind. The only real standout, if you can call it that, is on Wednesday the 16th. The afternoon brings a jump to 6ft of swell from the ENE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy hits 653 – that’s moderate to strong energy. But the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the NNE at 25 km/h, and the forecast says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” That’s a big caveat. For a beginner spot like this, 6ft is getting too big, and the cross-shore wind will make it lumpy. It’s really only for the ones who know what they’re doing.

The following morning, Thursday the 17th, drops to 5ft with onshore wind, so that window closes fast.

Overall, it’s a bleak 16 days. The Spit is consistent, but the conditions just aren’t lining up. If you’re desperate, the morning of Sunday the 6th or the afternoon of Wednesday the 16th might offer a couple of rides, but don’t expect much. The energy is too low, the wind is off, and the swell is too short-period for most of the run.

Stay patient, mates. It’ll turn around eventually.

Rusty

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