Yellowsands Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a look at the next 16 days for Yellowsands Beach. This is a river-mouth setup, so it handles swell a bit differently than a straight beach. We’ve got some action, but it’s a real mixed bag, with a few clean windows and a whole lot of choppy, cross-on wind slop in between.

The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is a full 4° colder than normal for this time of year. That’s a notable chill, so you’ll want a thicker wetsuit or a hood. It’s much colder than usual.

The first real surf to get excited about kicks off Wednesday morning, the 22nd of July. It’s glassy, with a light NE breeze, and a clean 4ft swell from the SSW at 13 seconds. The energy is moderate at 792, and the river mouth will be lining up nicely. The afternoon holds glassy conditions too, with a 3ft SE swell. This is a sweet little window to start the run.

Thursday morning, the 23rd, is still clean with a cross-off WSW wind. The swell holds at 4ft from the SSW, period 12 seconds. It’s a good, workable size. The afternoon gets a bit lumpier with a building cross-off breeze, but the swell drops to 3ft.

Friday the 24th brings a jump in size. The morning has 4ft from the SSW, but the period jumps to 18 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is strong at 1963, and it’s clean with a cross-off SW wind. The long period means sets will be powerful and well-spaced, but at a river mouth, it might break a little too straight unless you pick your peak. The afternoon is a different story: 7ft from the SSW at 16 seconds, with a cross wind from the south. The wind is light, but that cross component will put some ripples on the face. The energy is very strong (2328). This is a big, powerful swell, and for a river break, it’s going to be a bit of a handful. Not for beginners.

Saturday the 25th, the wind turns cross-on from the ENE. The swell is 4ft in the morning, dropping to 4ft in the afternoon. It’s surfable, but the wind is starting to mess with the surface. From Sunday the 26th all the way through to the end of July, the script flips. The wind is almost constantly cross-on or onshore, from the NE to E, with speeds from 9 up to 19 mph. The swell hangs around 3ft to 4ft, but it’s choppy and messy. There’s a big spike on Tuesday the 28th with a 7ft from the SSE, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a strong cross-on. It’s a lumpy, bumpy mess. Kite surfers would have a field day here, but for paddle surfing, it’s a write-off.

The first week of August doesn’t look much better. The 1st and 2nd are still onshore slop, with swell around 5ft to 6ft from the E and ENE. The wind is fresh and gusty, up to 19 mph. Not worth the paddle out.

Then, we get a real standout. Wednesday the 5th of August. The morning is clean with a cross-off NNW wind, and a 5ft swell from the south at 14 seconds. The energy is strong at 1482. But the afternoon is the true gem. The wind drops to absolute glass – zero mph – and the swell is 5ft from the south at 14 seconds. The energy jumps to 2054. This is excellent, clean, powerful surf for experienced surfers. It’s not for beginners at that size, but for anyone with some time in the water, it’s going to be a ripper. The crowd profile here is “sometimes,” so you might have a few mates out, but it won’t be a zoo.

Thursday the 6th of August, the morning has 4ft from the south at 13 seconds, but the wind swings onshore from the east. The afternoon sees a bigger 5ft south swell with a very long 16-second period, but a strong onshore wind from the ENE will ruin it. It’s a shame, because the energy is massive at 1638, but the wind kills it.

So, to wrap it up: the best surf on offer is the glassy Wednesday morning of the 22nd of July for a clean, fun start, and the absolute standout is the glassy, powerful Wednesday afternoon of the 5th of August. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The rest of the period is largely a battle with onshore winds, but if you’re patient, those two windows will deliver.

Rusty.

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