The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the stretch ahead for The Spit. Let me tell you, it’s a pretty grim picture for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long, dry spell of poor surf, but there’s one afternoon that might just save the whole outlook.

The overall pattern is a real bummer. We’re coming off a period of strong, messy swell that’s been hammered by cross-onshore winds, making it totally unsurfable for days. Right now, the 20th of July is a write-off with 8ft of lumpy, cross-on junk. That energy is big, around 1480 (moderate to strong), but with a period of 10 seconds and that wind, it’s a mess.

That energy drops off fast, but the wind stays stubbornly wrong. Tuesday the 21st, Wednesday morning the 22nd... all poor. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is right on the money for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Then we get a glimmer. Wednesday afternoon, 22nd of July. The wind goes glassy, the sky clears, and The Spit cleans right up. We’ll have 5ft of swell from the east, with a period of 9 seconds. The energy is decent at 526 (moderate). The wind is absolutely glass, so the surface will be perfect. For a river-mouth setup, that’s about as good as it gets around here. This is the standout of the whole 16-day window. It’s not a huge swell, but for a beginner-friendly spot like The Spit, 5ft with glassy conditions is a dream. The only catch? It’s a consistent spot, so expect a few others who know the forecast to be out there.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Thursday the 23rd drops to 4ft, and the wind turns onshore again. From Friday the 24th all the way through to the 4th of August, it’s a long stretch of tiny, weak waves, mostly under 3ft, with a lot of cross-shore breeze. The energy drops right off, often below 100 (weak). There’s a few clean mornings with offshore winds in late July and early August, but the swell is just too small to get excited about. On the 2nd of August, we see a 16-second period pulse, but it’s only 1ft and from the south-east, which isn’t going to do much at a spot that loves an east swell.

So, to sum it up: the only real window to paddle out is Wednesday afternoon, 22nd of July. It’s a short one, but it’s clean. The rest of the 16 days is a long, flat, and windy gap. For a spot like The Spit, this kind of blank run is pretty normal when the trade winds lock in.

Rusty.

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