Banna Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. This is Rusty, and I'm looking at the next couple of weeks for Banna Strand.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the first week is a bit of a struggle. We're looking at a long stretch of small, weak surf. The swell energy is sitting in the low double digits for a lot of it, with the largest pulse only hitting 147 (combined energy) on the 11th, but that's a messy 3ft from the WNW with a cross-shore wind. Not much to write home about. The water is running a touch warmer than normal, sitting around 62°, which is a nice little bonus for the legs.

From the 11th right through to the 18th, it's a real grind. The waves are tiny, mostly under 2ft, and while we get some clean windows with offshore or glassy conditions on the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, the swell just isn't there to back it up. You'll be floating around on a longboard, maybe getting a few knee-high ripples, but it's not going to get your heart pumping. The 14th is the best of a bad bunch, with a clean 2ft from the west, but the energy is still minimal (77). It's surfable, but only just.

Things start to look a little more interesting heading into the 19th. We see a jump in size, with 4ft of short-period WNW swell on the Sunday morning, but the wind is cross-shore, making it messy. The energy is there (149), but the quality is poor.

The real standout, and the one you want to keep an eye on, is the 26th of July. That Sunday morning is looking like the pick of the entire forecast. We're talking a solid 7ft of NW groundswell with a decent 9-second period, delivering a beefy 749 (combined energy) of wave energy. The wind is a clean offshore from the NNE, which is perfect for Banna Strand. This is proper, powerful surf. That size is pushing into expert territory, so it's not for the faint of heart, but for the crew who know what they're doing, that's the session to aim for. The 20th and 21st also have some size, with 7ft and 7ft respectively, but the wind is more cross or cross-off, so it won't be as clean as that 26th.

The second week is a bit of a mixed bag. The 23rd has a glassy 3ft morning from the WNW, which is a nice little window for a clean session, but the energy is moderate. The 26th remains the crown jewel, but it's a long way out, so keep an eye on the forecast.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a longboard and patience kind of deal. The second week has some real promise, with the 26th of July being the big, powerful, clean day to circle on the calendar. For the rest, it's a case of picking the clean windows of small swell.

- Rusty

Read more