The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow start, but we’ve got a couple of windows worth keeping an eye on.

The first few days are a write-off, to be honest. We’ve got a solid wall of swell rolling in on Monday the 20th, with 10ft coming from the ESE, but the wind is howling out of the SSE at 25 mph, making it a strong, messy cross-onshore. The combined energy is a heavy 1996, but it’s all for nothing – the surface is just blown out. That nasty wind and cross-on chop hangs around right through to Tuesday. The swell dips a bit Wednesday morning, but it’s still a messy 5ft before we get a real turn.

Wednesday the 22nd afternoon is where it gets interesting. The wind drops right out, going glassy with a light northerly. The swell drops to 4ft from the east, with a moderate 9-second period. The combined energy is a modest 290, but the conditions are clean. This is a proper session for a log or a funboard. It’s not a big day, but it’s the best we’ll see for a bit.

Thursday the 23rd morning is the standout for the week. We’ve got a clean 3ft east swell with a perfect light offshore wind from the west at 3 mph. The period is a short 8 seconds, but it’s clean as a whistle. The Spit will be offering up little peelers, and it’s a beginner-friendly height. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

From Thursday afternoon, things go downhill again. The wind shifts onshore, and the swell drops to tiny, gutless levels through the weekend and into the following week. The combined energy sinks to below 100, with a 2ft swell on Saturday morning that’s cross-off but tiny. There’s a serious gap in quality surf for about a week.

Then, on Friday the 31st of July, we get a bit of a late bloomer. The swell is small again, only 2ft, but it’s coming from the ESE with a very long 14-second period. The wind is light and offshore out of the west, and the combined energy is 222. The period is so long that it’s a groundswell, which at a river mouth like The Spit can mean the waves stand up a bit better than you’d expect for the size. It’s a clean, glassy morning, but the size is tiny. It’s a promising but very long-range call, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

The final weekend of the forecast (August 1st and 2nd) sees a bump in the swell to 6ft on Saturday afternoon, but it’s coming from the SSE with a 16 mph cross-shore wind. The combined energy hits 850, but the conditions are lumpy and cross. It’s more of a wind-swell mess, and for a spot like this, that’s not a good look. It’s likely more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

So, the bottom line: Wednesday 22nd afternoon for a glassy, small wave grovel, and Thursday 23rd morning for the cleanest, most user-friendly waves of the window. The long-range Friday 31st is a whisper of something better, but it’s a long way off.

Rusty.

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