Banzai Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell ya, it's Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Banzai. Honestly, it’s a tough stretch ahead. For the next 16 days, the surf is on offer, but the quality? It’s gonna be a battle. The wind is the main problem here – it’s almost always cross-onshore, onshore, or just plain messy, and that’s going to chop up whatever swell the island can pull in. The water temp is sitting at a warm 85°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a wetsuit.

We’ve got a long gap of poor conditions right through the end of August. From Friday the 21st all the way through Monday the 31st, every single session is flagged as poor surf conditions. The swell is small, mostly under 5 ft, coming from the SE or ESE, with periods a short 6 to 8 seconds. The combined energy is weak, mostly under 100 or just into the low hundreds, like 131 on Friday morning, 176 on Saturday, and 288 on the 30th, but it doesn’t matter because the wind ruins it. The swell is also coming from the southeast, while Banzai really wants it from the south to be at its best, so it’s a bad angle too.

The one small glimmer in this whole outlook shows up on Monday the 31st of August. The morning sees a 5 ft swell from the SE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 304. It’s still cross-onshore from the east at 9 mph, so it won’t be glassy, but that’s the biggest wave height and most energy we see in the early part. The afternoon on the 31st has even more energy, 430, with 5 ft swell, but the wind swings directly onshore at 12 mph, making it even messier.

Then, on Tuesday the 1st of September, we get a little shift. The morning is clear, with a light easterly breeze at 6 mph, which is a cross-onshore, but it's light. The swell is 4 ft from the ESE with a 7-second period, and the combined energy is 291. The forecast only calls it a "marginal" call, which is the best rating we’ll see. It’s still not ideal, but it’s the least bad option. The winds are light, so the chop won’t be as bad as the other days.

After that, it drops back off. The first week of September is more of the same: small swell, poor wind, and low energy. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th see a bump in swell to 5 ft, with energy hitting 297 on the 4th, but the wind is onshore again. The best call in the whole 16 days is probably that Tuesday the 1st of September morning session, but it’s a real "maybe" – you’d be gambling on the wind holding light and the swell filling in. If you’re an advanced surfer who can handle a messy line-up, Banzai might give you a few, but for everyone else, it’s going to be a frustrating two weeks.

Rusty.

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