The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a long, quiet stretch ahead. The Spit is the only game in town, and honestly, it’s a pretty tough outlook. The first real chance to paddle out doesn’t even come until Tuesday, August 25th, and even then, it’s not much to write home about.

Tuesday morning, August 25th, we’ll see a tiny 3 ft ENE swell with a short 8-second period, producing weak combined energy (90). The wind is glassy, coming from the NNE at 3 mph, so the surface will be clean. The Spit is a beginner-friendly river mouth, but with such small, weak waves, it’s really just a chance to get wet. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Wednesday, August 26th, offers a slight improvement. The swell holds at 3 ft from the ENE with that same short period in the morning, but the wind shifts to a clean offshore from the WNW at 9 mph. That’s the best wind we’ll see all week, making for a clean, glassy surface. The energy is still weak (93), but for a spot like The Spit, it’s the pick of the week. The afternoon goes glassy again with a light NNE breeze, so it’s a solid day to be out there if you’re a beginner. For experienced surfers, this is barely a ripple.

The rest of the first week is a write-off. From Thursday, August 27th, through Monday, August 31st, the wind is either howling onshore or cross-shore, with speeds up to 19 mph, chopping up the tiny combo swell. The energy picks up a bit on Sunday, August 30th, hitting 244 (moderate) with a 3 ft SE swell, but a fresh 16 mph SSE cross-wind will make it a messy, lumpy mess. Not worth it.

The beginning of September brings a silver lining, but it’s a long way off. On Tuesday, September 1st, we get a tiny 2 ft E swell, but the period stretches to 10 seconds, and the energy jumps to 155 (moderate). The morning is glassy with an ESE breeze at 3 mph. It’s still small, but that longer period should give the waves a little more shape. It’s a promising morning, but very small.

After that, the forecast gets a bit fuzzy. Wednesday, September 2nd, has a clean offshore cross-off from the NW at 9 mph, with a 3 ft ENE swell (period 9 sec, energy 120). A decent, clean session for the small wave crew. Then, after a few more windy days, we see a real standout potential on Monday, September 7th. The morning is glassy, with a light NW breeze at 3 mph, and a 2 ft E swell (8 sec). The energy is weak (80), but the clean conditions make it a nice little window. The final decent morning is Tuesday, September 8th, with another glassy start and a 2 ft E swell.

The absolute best on offer? It’s a toss-up between the clean offshore morning of Wednesday, August 26th, and the glassy morning of Tuesday, September 1st. For the most reliable clean conditions and that slight bump in energy, I’d point you to Wednesday, August 26th morning. It’s still small, but the wind is perfect for The Spit. For a longer period, more shapely wave, the glassy morning of Tuesday, September 1st is a close second, but it’s even smaller. Both are for the beginners. Experts, don’t bother.

Rusty out.

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