The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at The Spit over the next couple of weeks. It’s going to be a quiet stretch for a while, so don’t get your hopes up too high early on.

Right now, the water’s sitting at a pretty average 69°, nothing unusual for this time of year. The first bit of rideable surf pops up Sunday morning, August 9th – but it's nothing to write home about. We’ve got a small 3ft easterly swell, period a short 9 seconds, and the combined energy is only moderate at best (167). Wind is light cross-off from the NNW, so it should look clean, but the wave quality is just “surfable”. Still, it's the best we’ve got to kick things off.

After that Sunday morning, it gets messy. Through Sunday afternoon, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we’re looking at tiny waves – 2ft to 3ft – with onshore or cross-shore winds and choppy conditions most of the time. The swell energy drops into the weak range, down to 52 at some points. Not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 14th sees a spike: the swell jumps to 6ft out of the SSE, with a short 8-second period and combined energy jumping up to 460 (moderate-to-strong). But here’s the catch – the wind goes cross-shore at a solid 12 mph, and then turns fresh cross-on in the afternoon. It’ll be lumpy and bumpy. Sets might look fat and close out quickly on this river mouth setup. This one’s more for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, honestly.

The next few days – Saturday 15th through Thursday 20th – are a real slog. Swell sits between 3ft and 6ft, but the wind stays cross or cross-on from the SSE or SE, often in the 12-19 mph range. Conditions will be choppy, lumpy, or cross-chop. The combined energy peaks at 1201 on Wednesday morning the 19th (strong wave energy), but with a 7ft swell and cross-on winds, it’s going to be a washing machine. Definitely not beginner friendly, and experts will have to work for it.

The standout window doesn’t come until Friday, August 21st. The morning’s a bit marginal with rain showers and a light cross-on wind, but by Friday afternoon we get a small window of magic: the wind goes glassy, the swell drops a little to 5ft from the east at a steady 9 seconds, combined energy at a solid 420 (moderate-to-strong). Conditions are described as “glassy” and “expect good surf”. This is the best session on offer – clean, fun-sized waves for a go-out.

Monday, August 24th, also has potential. The morning gets glassy again with a 4ft east swell, long period of 11 seconds, and combined energy of 413 (moderate-to-strong). That longer period groundswell should give some push and shape, though at a beach-and-river break like The Spit, it might wall up a bit straight. Still, with glassy winds, it’s a great chance for some clean, lined-up waves.

Crowds are often a factor at The Spit, and with the limited good windows, you can expect it to be busy when it’s clean.

So bottom line: the first week is mostly a write-off. Hang tight, and target the afternoons of Friday the 21st and Monday the 24th for your best chance at some clean, fun surf.

– Rusty

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