The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for The Spit over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the first week and a half is a real struggle. We’ve got a long, bleak run of small, weak, and messy conditions. From Sunday the 12th right through to late in the week, the waves are tiny—mostly under 3 ft—and the wind is all over the shop. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking 100 (102) at best to start, and then dropping into the single digits later. It’s just not worth paddling out for. There’s a long gap of poor surf here, so don’t bother suiting up.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Thursday morning, July 16th. The swell bumps up to 6 ft from the SSE, and the combined energy jumps to 544 (moderate). The wind is cross-offshore from the SSW, which should keep it reasonably clean. But by the afternoon, the wind howls onshore at 25 mph, the swell jumps to 7 ft, and it turns into a total mess. That morning window is the only real chance, and it’s marginal.

Friday and Saturday, July 17th and 18th, are a write-off. The swell gets bigger, but the wind is strong and cross-shore, smashing up the surf. By Saturday, we’re looking at 10 ft swell with a combined energy over 2000 (strong to very strong), but it’s blown out with a strong cross-shore wind. That’s too big for beginners and will be a washing machine. Actually, with that much wind and power at a beach setup, it’s starting to look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The standout window is the morning of Sunday, July 19th. The swell is 8 ft from the SSE with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 1965. The wind is cross-shore from the S at 22 mph, but the forecast says wind and tide are favorable. The catch? It’s predicted to be too big for this break. For experienced surfers only. The afternoon settles a bit to 7 ft with a cross-off wind, which is cleaner but still only for the brave.

The second week gets a little more promising. Tuesday morning, July 21st, is a beauty. The swell drops to 5 ft from the E with a 10-second period, and the wind goes glassy—dead calm. The combined energy is 556 (moderate), and the conditions are clean. This is the best call for the whole outlook. The Spit is a river mouth, and that E swell with glassy conditions should offer some fun, clean lines. It’s a consistent break, but crowds are often an issue here, so get there early.

After that, it gets small again. From Thursday, July 23rd, through to the end of the period, we’re back to tiny surf under 3 ft with weak energy. The wind is mostly offshore or light, so it’ll be clean but tiny. The very end of the run, from Saturday, July 26th, into Monday, July 27th, shows a 2 ft swell with a nice long period of 12 to 14 seconds, but the energy is still weak (under 150). It’s surfable, but ordinary.

To wrap it up: the best bet is the glassy morning of Tuesday, July 21st. The swell is 5 ft from the east, and the conditions will be clean. For the brave, the morning of Sunday, July 19th offers the biggest swell, but it’s expert-only. The rest is a long wait for something decent.

Rusty

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