Whitesand Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a grim outlook for Whitesand Bay. We’re looking at a 16-day window with basically nothing worth paddling out for. The first decent glimmer of surf doesn’t show up until the morning of Saturday, 30th August, and even then it’s a “marginal” call at best. That’s a solid 10-day gap of flat, messy, or blown-out conditions from the start of the forecast.

For a spot that’s fairly exposed to a WSW swell, the problem is the wind. Thursday morning, 20th August, we get a 5-foot swell from the WSW but it’s a cross-on mess with a fresh breeze (22 mph). The combined energy is moderate (221), but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’s weak, lumpy, and poor. The afternoon drops to 3 feet, still cross-shore and choppy. Friday, 21st, has a 4-foot from the north, but with a moderate cross-shore (16 mph) and a short 6-second period, it’s just a washout. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing weird.

Then we hit a flat spell. From Saturday, 22nd, through to Tuesday, 26th morning, the swell is tiny – 1 foot to 3 feet – with long periods (14-15 seconds) but the energy is weak (from 21 to 146). The wind is cross-off and clean, but there’s nothing to ride. It’s a blank run.

The first real standout? Saturday, 30th August morning. The guidance shows a 6-foot swell from the WSW with a 7-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 337 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-off from the SSE at 12 mph, and the wave comment says “clean.” The wind is light and offshore enough, so it’ll be glassy on the face. The 6 feet is solid intermediate-to-advanced height, and the direction is bang on the optimum (WSW). This is the best on offer, but it’s still a “marginal” call, so don’t bank on it.

Later that afternoon, the swell pushes to 8 feet with a 7-second period, and the energy rockets to 933 (very strong). The wind is still cross-off but a fresh breeze (22 mph), so it’s clean but powerful. That’s expert-only territory – too big for beginners, and the short period will make it dumpy. The crowd here is “sometimes,” so you might have it to yourself.

Then Monday, 31st August, sees a 10-foot WSW swell (energy 1097 – very strong) but the wind swings to a cross-on fresh breeze (19 mph), making it lumpy and dangerous. Only for experts, and even then it’s a risk.

For the rest of the first week of September, the wind stays messy, and the swell is inconsistent with poor to moderate energy. The last day, Friday, 4th September, has a 5-foot WSW swell but a strong cross-on (28 mph) – more kite-surfing territory than paddle surfing.

Overall, the only window worth a look is the morning of the 30th. Before that, it’s just waiting. The conditions are that poor, but at least the bay is fairly consistent for this area, so it shouldn’t stay this bleak for long. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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