Banna Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what we've got coming down the pipe at Banna Strand. It's a bit of a rough start, but there's some hope on the horizon.

Alright, for the next few days, it's pretty grim. We’ve got a lump of westerly wind and messy, weak waves to deal with right through until the end of August and into the first few days of September. Honestly, the surf is poor and there's nothing worth paddling out for. Saturday and Sunday are a total write-off with onshore breezes making a chop of weak 1-2ft swell. The energy is low, barely hitting triple digits. Even when the swell bumps up to near 6ft on Monday the 31st, the wind is all wrong. It's a tough start.

We finally get a bit of a breather on Wednesday the 2nd of September. The wind swings around to a light cross-offshore from the SSE and we get some clean conditions. The swell is a small 4ft from the WNW with weak-to-moderate energy, making for ordinary but surfable waves. It's not a standout, but at least you won't be getting blown off your board.

Now, something interesting happens late on Thursday the 3rd into Friday the 4th. The swell gets big, really big. We're talking 10-12ft from the WNW with a long period of 13-14 seconds. The combined energy jumps to huge numbers. The issue is the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore. For a sandbar like Banna, that much power and long-period groundswell is going to be a beast. The report even flags it as too big for the break for Friday morning. This setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest. This is only for the experts, and even then, it’ll be a battle.

However, the real standout window for a proper surf comes in on Sunday the 6th of September. We get crystal clear skies and a lovely cross-offshore breeze from the NNE. The swell settles to a clean 5ft from the NW with a moderate 10-second period and moderate energy. This is the best on offer. The waves will be clean and hold some punch. This one is the standout for intermediate surfers.

Monday the 7th looks good too, with similar clean conditions and a small but fun 4ft NW swell. The wind stays light and cross-off. After that, it gets a bit more ordinary again, with the wind and swell dropping off. The morning of the 8th is worth a mention for a tiny but clean 4ft wave, but it’s really just a cruiser. By the 9th, the wind is howling from the WSW again with massive 10ft swell and high energy, but it’s too messy and onshore to be any good.

So to sum it up: the first week is a dud until that clean little window on the 2nd. The big, angry swell on the 4th is for experts or kiters only. The real reward is waiting for Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th. Mark your calendars for that one.

Rusty.

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