The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a paddle. We’ve got a long flat spell on the cards for The Spit, and I’m not just talking a day or two. We’re looking at a solid run of poor surf that stretches all the way from this Tuesday morning right through to the end of the forecast period on the 23rd of September. There are no real standouts in the mix, so if you’re desperate for a wave, you’re going to have to be patient and pick your moments, because they’ll be few and far between.

The one tiny glimmer in the first week is on Wednesday the 9th. The early session looks like it could be your best bet. We’ve got a clean, glassy morning with the wind swinging light offshore from the ESE. The swell is small, around 2ft from the SE with a period of 9 seconds, and the energy is weak at 95. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s the only time the ocean looks like it’s actually trying to cooperate. The water temp here is sitting at about 70°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. But that’s the peak of it, I’m afraid.

After that, the wind swings around and messes everything up. From Thursday the 10th through the weekend, we see a bump in swell – it gets up to around 6ft – but it’s all over the shop. The wind is howling from the south and southeast, creating a messy, lumpy cross-chop. The energy picks up too, hitting moderate readings of 514 and 677 on Thursday, but it’s useless for us. This isn’t a paddle-surfing setup; with that much wind and a short-period swell, it’s looking a lot more interesting for the kite crowd than for anyone on a surfboard.

The following week, starting Monday the 15th, the swell drops right back down to knee-high dribble. We get another clean window on Tuesday morning the 15th, with a light offshore NNE breeze and glassy conditions on 2ft from the ENE, but the periods are short and the energy is nearly non-existent at 48. It’s surfable in the loosest sense, but you’ll be fighting for scraps. After that, it’s just a long grind of onshore wind and poor conditions. There’s a brief moment on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th when the wind goes offshore or cross-off, but the swell is still tiny and the energy readings are down in the weak 30s and 40s. Not worth getting excited about.

So, honestly, the long-range picture is bleak. There are no big swells on the horizon, and the wind just refuses to play nice. For a spot like The Spit that’s consistent, this kind of blank run is unusual, and I wouldn't be surprised if the models shift a bit by the time we get there. But as it stands, if you want a wave, you best be up at dawn on the 9th, and maybe again on the 15th. That’s about all there is.

Stay patient,
Rusty

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