The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for The Spit, right from July 18th out through the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this is a tough run. The first few days are straight-up messy. We've got a solid pulse of swell pushing through on the 18th, with ESE swell hitting 6 ft in the morning, but a 22 mph cross-shore wind is just tearing it to pieces. The water's sitting at 70°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there. The combined energy is moderate (563), but the conditions are just poor. The afternoon gets even bigger, with the swell jumping to 13 ft from the SSE and the combined energy roaring up to a strong 3756. It's clean, and the wind is better, but that's a lot of water moving around for a river mouth. If you're a seasoned local, it might be a go, but for everyone else, that's a paddling mission and a half.

Things don't really let up over the weekend. Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th see the swell holding around 10 ft to 12 ft, but the wind is a nasty cross-onshore around 22 to 28 mph, making it a total washout. The energy is still strong, up over 3000, but it's just not user-friendly. This is one of those times where the setup might look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We then hit a long, quiet stretch. From Tuesday the 21st right through to the end of the month, the swell drops off and the wind is mostly on it or cross-shore. You'll see dribbles of 3 ft to 5 ft, but the conditions are just ordinary. The morning of Wednesday the 22nd has a glimmer of hope with some clean offshore wind, but the swell is a weak 4 ft from the E with a short period of 9 seconds and low energy (269). The afternoon goes glassy with a light NNE breeze, but the swell is down to 4 ft. It's surfable, but it's a knee-high dribbler. Thursday the 23rd starts glassy with a tiny 3 ft swell, but it's not enough to get excited about. There's a solid 8-9 day gap here where you're just staring at flat, lumpy water.

Now, looking way out, there's a *very* long-range hope. On the 31st of July, we see a ghost of a long-period swell creeping in—a 0.7 ft wave from the E with a period of 19 seconds. That's an incredibly long period, which is a sign of a distant groundswell, but it's so small it's barely a ripple. The real tease is August 1st. The data shows a jump to 8 ft from the NNE, but it's getting hammered by a 16 mph cross-onshore wind. The energy is moderate (975), but the conditions are rated as poor. It's a promise of something that just doesn't come together. Sunday the 2nd is back to tiny, onshore junk.

So, to be honest, there's no standout session here. The absolute best on offer is probably the glassy, small waves on the afternoon of the 22nd of July, or the morning of the 23rd. It's not going to be a day for the history books, but if you're desperate for a splash and a few ankle-biters on a log, you could make it work. The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off. It's one of those periods where the forecast is just not cooperating.

Rusty, signing off.

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