The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about The Spit in feet and miles per hour, just like we used to.

The first sign of life is on Wednesday afternoon, August 12th. We’ve got a little 2-foot easterly swell, with a 9-second interval, and the wind is dead calm, glassy. Water temp is about 69°, right where it should be for this time of year. The combined energy is weak, though, so don’t expect much push.

Then it turns ugly. From Thursday, August 13th, all the way through to the end of the third week of August, it’s a battle with the wind. Most days have onshore or cross-shore breezes. There’s a short window Thursday morning with a light 2-foot swell and clean conditions, but it’s tiny and weak. After that, the wind picks up. By Monday, August 17th, the swell builds to around 5 to 7 feet from the east-southeast, but it’s blown out by 30-35 km/h winds from the southeast. The energy climbs into the moderate range, but it’s lumpy, messy, and cross-onshore. Kite surfers might have fun, but for a regular paddle surfer, it’s a no-go.

The big turnaround comes Saturday morning, August 22nd. That’s the one. The wind goes light offshore from the north-northwest at around 10 km/h, the swell is a clean 5 feet from the east with a 10-second period, and the energy is solid. It will be clean, lined up, and worth paddling out for. The Spit is a river break, consistent, and best for beginners to intermediates. Just know it often gets crowded.

Sunday morning, August 23rd, is another good bet. Offshore wind from the west-southwest at 25 km/h with a 4-foot easterly swell. It’ll be clean, though the wind is a bit stronger. The afternoon holds similar with a 3-foot swell.

After that, Monday the 24th has a clean but small 3-foot swell in the morning, and then it’s back to onshore slop for the rest of the forecast period.

So, for the whole 16 days, your best bet is Saturday the 22nd, with Sunday the 23rd as a solid backup. The rest is a long stretch of wind-affected, poor-quality surf.

Rusty.

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