The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good, hard look at what The Spit has on offer for the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – for a stretch there, it’s looking pretty grim. The first real chance of a surfable wave doesn’t appear until Saturday the 22nd, and even then it’s a tiny whisper. We’ve got a long, dry run of rubbish conditions until then.

From the start of the period right through to midweek of the following week, it’s a write-off. The wind is a constant problem, mostly cross or cross-on from the SSE or SE, and when it’s not that, it’s onshore. The swell is weak and short-period, and it’s all showing up as “poor surf conditions.” There is absolutely nothing to get excited about. Friday the 14th through to Thursday the 21st is just dead. Don’t bother.

Saturday the 22nd of August is where we see a tiny glimmer. The morning has a clean look with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NW, but the swell is only a pathetic 2ft from the ENE with a period of 7 seconds and weak combined swell energy (97). It’s not really worth paddling out for. The afternoon gets a bit more interesting. A moderate offshore wind from the W kicks in, cleaning things up on that 2ft E swell (8 seconds, 94 combined energy). The file says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” so you might get a few grovelly ones if you’re desperate.

The standout of the whole window, and I mean the *only* standout, looks to be Friday the 28th of August, but it’s a warning more than a recommendation for most of you. The morning shows a solid 8ft swell from the SSE with a period of 10 seconds and monster combined swell energy of 1205 – that’s a lot of power. The forecast says the wind and tide are good, but then it also says the swell is predicted to be *too big* for The Spit. For a river-mouth setup, that much water moving around can get dangerous and messy, especially with a cross-onshore wind predicted later. This is strictly for the experts who know this break inside out. Beginners and intermediates, keep well clear.

After that, the energy drops back off. Saturday the 29th has some size (5ft) but the cross-wind and its position in the second week make it less reliable.

To sum it up: we’ve got a massive dry spell from the 14th to the 21st. The only thing that even counts as a surf is the tiny, clean opportunity on the afternoon of the 22nd. The big one on the 28th is a beast that’s likely too much for the spot. Water temp is running about 69°F at the start, which is basically average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Stay patient, or go find a lake.

Rusty.

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