Sand Bank surf guide
Surf: A 10 minute walk north of Bathsheba, Sandbank or Cattlewash as it is also known, looks like an ideal open beachbreak for beginners. However this stretch is strafed by rips and currents and the line-up is usually messy, unless the right near the rocks is working, so it's better suited to experienced surfers who will get the best from the dumpy close-outs and onshore slop.
Environment: No crowds to contend with, just rips.
Surf: General: This place, also known as "Sand Bank," is called Cattle Wash by the older set. This is, as its younger name implies, a sand bank just to the north of Soup Bowl, on the other side of the rocky outcrop north of the Edgewater Hotel. It's a shifty, often sloppy nugget of wave that has occasional moments of grandeur under just the right conditions. Depending on the way the sand is set up when it chooses to show its face, Cattle Wash can be a dumping right-hand bowl not dissimilar to a certain wave just down the coast or A-frame peaks going right and left.
Tides: Low to Medium
Size: Chest high-overhead
Wind: South, Southwest
Swell: N
Bottom: Sand
Paddling: A good amount of work when there are decent sized waves.
Spot Rating: Not a great wave but an option a little up the coast from Soup Bowl.
Access: About a 1 km walk north of Soup Bowl, past the Edgewater Inn and on the other side of rock outcropping and small creek outfall.
Crowds: Crowd Factor: Not usually.
Local Vibe: Not much.
Environment: Pretty good.
Hazards: Urchins.
Season: Late summer and fall for tropical cyclone swells but late fall through early spring for consistency.