The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the outlook for The Spit over the next 16 days is a bit of a struggle. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, mostly messy surf. The waves are just too weak and the wind is too often in the wrong spot to get anything decent.

The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won't be freezing your toes off while you're sitting there waiting for a wave.

Right now, we’re in a dry spell. The first few days are a write-off. Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August are dominated by poor surf conditions with cross-shore and cross-onshore winds. The swell is tiny, around 2ft to 3ft, with a short, weak period. The energy is low, just (65-70) on Saturday and jumping a bit (185) on Sunday morning, but it’s still garbage.

Now, there is a tiny, tiny window of hope. On Monday morning the 3rd of August, things get *glassy*. The wind drops to nothing, and we get a little pulse of 3ft swell from the SE. It’s not big, and the period is a moderate 11 seconds, so it’ll have a bit of shape. The energy is decent for the size (191). It’s surfable, but just barely. That’s the best you’re going to get for a while, but don't expect anything special.

The rest of the first week and into the second is a desert. From Tuesday the 4th through to the 10th, the swell stays small, mostly under 3ft, and the wind is either onshore, cross-on, or just plain messy. Even when we get a clean offshore wind on Wednesday the 5th morning and Monday the 10th, the swell is just too weak (2ft) to make it worthwhile.

We get a bit of a bump in size on the 13th of August. Thursday morning the 13th is glassy with a 3ft SE swell, 9-second period and moderate energy (150). It’s a clean look, but the size is still small. The afternoon gets ruined by a 12 mph cross-on wind.

The last real chance is on Sunday morning the 16th of August. The swell jumps up to 5ft from the SE. That’s the biggest we’ll see. But here’s the kicker: the period is a short, weak 7 seconds, and the wind is a messy cross-on at 16 mph. The combined energy is moderate (390), but the conditions will be choppy and poor. The Spit is a river mouth, so with that short period and onshore wind, it’s going to be a mess. Honestly, with that much wind and a beach/river setup, it’s looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Overall, it’s a grim run. The only noteworthy session is Monday morning the 3rd, and maybe the glassy morning of the 13th. The bigger swell on the 16th is a washout. Keep the board in the car but don't get your hopes up.

Rusty.

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