The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the outlook for The Spit.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: it’s a tough stretch ahead. Over the next 16 days, there’s only one morning that really stands out as worth paddling out for. The rest of the time, the conditions are pretty ordinary, with a lot of chop and cross-onshore wind messing things up. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off on Monday, the 24th of August, and honestly, it’s a write-off. Southeasterly wind at 9 mph, cross-onshore, and the swell is only 3 ft from the ENE with a short 8-second period. The energy is weak (85), and the surface is choppy. Not worth a look. Tuesday morning on the 25th is a tease: the wind goes glassy from the north at just 3 mph, and while the swell is still small at 3 ft, it’s clean. You might get a few knee-high runners, but it’s not going to light the world on fire. Tuesday afternoon goes back to messy.

Wednesday the 26th sees a bit of hope with cross-offshore winds from the NW, keeping the surface clean. Swell bumps to 3 ft from the ENE, still on the weak side (95 energy). It’s surfable but very ordinary. The rest of that week into the weekend is plagued by moderate to fresh southerly and southeasterly winds, with swell heights staying between 2 ft and 4 ft. The energy picks up into triple digits (185-234), but the wind keeps it lumpy and cross-onshore. For the kitesurfers, that Saturday the 29th with 19 mph cross-onshore wind and 4 ft swell might look fun, but for a paddle surfer, it’s not your day.

There’s a real gap from the 29th of August right through to the morning of Wednesday, the 2nd of September. That’s almost four days of poor to marginal conditions.

Now here’s the standout. Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. That’s the one. The wind switches to a glassy NNW at just 3 mph, and the swell comes in at a solid 5 ft from the ENE with an 8-second period. The energy is strong (250), so there’s some push behind it. The water will be glassy, the waves will be clean, and for a river-mouth setup like The Spit (exposed to the east), that ENE swell is right in the wheelhouse. It’s a beginner-friendly break normally, but at 5 ft with glassy conditions, it’s a great option for intermediates too. Just be aware that crowds are often here, so you’ll want to get in early. After that morning, the wind turns cross-onshore again in the afternoon, so your window is tight.

After that, the swell fades quickly. By the 4th and 5th of September, we’re back to tiny 2-3 ft stuff with moderate winds, and by the 8th of September, the swell bottoms out at 1 ft. The last few days of the outlook are flat and not worth the drive.

So, to sum it up: the only real highlight is the morning of Wednesday, the 2nd of September. The rest of the window is full of cross-onshore chop, small waves, and poor conditions. If you can’t make that Wednesday, you might as well wait for the next system.

Rusty.

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