The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the coming swell window for The Spit. It’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, so let’s get straight into it.

We’ve got a few small windows of opportunity, but honestly, the first real standout doesn’t pop up until Saturday the 1st of August. Up until then, we’re looking at a lot of small, messy, or wind-affected conditions. The Spit is a river mouth setup, exposed to easterly swells, and it’s a consistent break, but that doesn’t mean it’s always good. Thursday the 23rd of July morning is your best early bet: clean conditions with glassy water and a light 3 mph westerly breeze. Swell is 4 ft out of the east, period of 8 seconds, and the combined wave energy is moderate (299). It’s not huge, but it’s clean and rideable for beginners.

Everything else in the first week is pretty ordinary. Friday the 24th turns ugly with strong cross-shore and cross-onshore winds up to 22 mph, making for lumpy, poor surf. Saturday the 25th morning shows a bit more size at 5 ft out of the SSE, but the wind is cross-shore and the combined energy is strong (503). Still, the conditions are marginal. Sunday the 26th through to Thursday the 31st of July are all very small, weak, and mostly blown out or glassy but tiny. Swell heights hover around 1 ft to 2 ft, periods are short, and combined energy is under 100. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, Saturday the 1st of August is the one to circle. The morning brings a solid 7 ft swell out of the SSE, period of 10 seconds. However, the combined energy is very strong (1354), and the forecast says the swell is too big for this break. This is expert-only territory at best, and the wind is moderate cross-shore. It’s powerful, but tricky and potentially overwhelming for most. There’s a similar event on Thursday the 6th of August morning, with a 7 ft swell and a period of 9 seconds, combined energy at 714. Again, too big for The Spit. Friday the 7th of August morning has 7 ft swell, but the wind is fresh cross-onshore, so conditions are poor.

In between, we have some small, clean windows. Wednesday the 5th of August morning is worth a mention: glassy conditions with a light SW wind, swell at 2 ft out of the ESE, period of 10 seconds, but the combined energy is weak (107). It’s surfable but very ordinary.

Overall, the best on offer is likely Thursday morning the 23rd of July for clean, beginner-friendly waves, and then the big swell events on the 1st and 6th of August for experts who can handle the size and cross-shore wind. Crowds are often present at The Spit, so expect company on any decent day. Water temperature is about average for the time of year.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty

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