The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for the Spit. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag for the next couple of weeks, but there are a few windows where it’ll be worth paddling out.

The Spit is a river mouth, so it's exposed to the east, and that's where we're seeing most of the swell energy coming from. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about normal for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The next few days are pretty grim. Wednesday and Thursday this week are a write-off with poor surf conditions and weak energy. Friday morning the 7th of August is the first glimmer, with glassy conditions and a clean surface on 3 ft east swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it'll be a bit lumpy and weak. The energy is still low (82). It’s surfable, but just barely.

The real standout, and the only one I’d get excited about, is Sunday morning the 9th of August. We’ve got a clean 4 ft east swell rolling in with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is a solid 205. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NNW, so it’s going to be clean. The Spit is a river mouth, so that longer period swell should wrap in nicely. The direction is right on the optimum, which is a big tick. Just a heads up, it’s a beginner spot and can get crowded often, so you’ll want to be early.

Monday the 10th of August hangs in there with moderate offshore winds from the west, keeping the 3 ft east swell clean, but the energy drops back to 142. It’s ordinary, but it’s a paddle. Tuesday morning the 11th is glassy again on the same size swell, so another window for a slow session.

After that, the wind turns ugly. From the 12th through the 19th, it’s mostly cross-shore or onshore winds, with a few strong breezes and even a brief period of 25 mph winds on the 12th. The swell gets a bit bigger on the 15th with a 5 ft SSE swell, but the energy is high (481) and the wind is a mess, making it a choppy, blown-out affair. That’s more of a kite-surfing day than a paddle session.

The 18th of August shows a 7 ft SSE swell, but with a strong cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a washing machine. The energy is huge (851), but the quality is zero.

The final window comes on Thursday morning, the 20th of August. We get glassy conditions again, with a 3 ft swell from the SE, but this time the period is a long 12 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and the energy is 224. The Spit, being a river mouth, should handle that long period well. It’s a promising end to the run, but it’s a long way out, so keep your fingers crossed.

Overall, the first week is a slow grind. Sunday the 9th is your best bet for something clean. After that, it’s a waiting game until the 20th.

Rusty.

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