Bali Bay (Glen Reef) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Bali Bay (Glen Reef) has in store for us.

It’s a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. Right off the bat, Monday morning the 17th of August shows some promise with a solid 8ft swell from the WSW, with a nice long 13-second period and a light cross-offshore wind – that’ll keep things clean. The energy's pumping at 2528. This is definitely one for the experienced crew, though, as it's a bit meaty.

Things get a little tricky after that. Monday afternoon through Wednesday is looking pretty average, with onshore or cross-shore winds and a lot of chop. The swell sticks around but the quality just isn't there. By Thursday the 20th, the swell jumps up to 12ft from the SW, but it's too big for this break, so we'll have to give it a miss, even though the wind is favorable.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd is more of the same – surfable swell, but the winds are just not playing ball, blowing cross or cross-onshore, making for a lumpy, choppy mess.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. We’ve got a bit of a wait, but Tuesday the 25th of August is looking like a proper standout. The afternoon session brings a 8ft swell from the SW with a very long 20-second period – that's proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is massive at 5640. The wind is just a light cross-shore breeze, which is perfect. This will be the best shaped waves of the whole run, but that long period will make it grind a bit straight at spots; it's a reef break here, so it should handle it beautifully. This is the one to circle.

Then on Wednesday the 26th of August, we get a moment of pure magic. The afternoon goes completely glassy – zero wind – with a 7ft SW swell and a solid 14-second period. The conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. That kind of glassy, clean surf at this size is a rare treat. The multiple standouts here are that Tuesday's long-period energy and Wednesday's glassy perfection.

After that, the final days of August fade out. Winds pick up and it gets choppy again. The first of September (Tuesday) shows another brief window with a 10ft SW swell, a 14-second period and a light cross-offshore breeze, but that's a full two weeks out, so keep it on the radar but don't count on it just yet.

Overall, it's a slow start, but the second half of the forecast period has two truly special windows.

Rusty.

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