Banzai Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a grim stretch ahead. The whole 16-day window is basically a write-off for any decent surf. We’ve got a run of poor surf conditions from the start right through to the 25th of July with no real let-up. The first recommendation doesn’t come until the 10th of July, and even then, it’s a no-go. There’s a long gap of over two weeks of nothing you’d want to paddle out for.

The only spot on the radar is Banzai, a reef break. The water temperature is sitting at 84°, which is about average for this time of year. The swell is coming in from the SE, but it’s a short period, choppy mess. The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore from the east or southeast, blowing at 9 to 16 mph, just ruining any chance of a clean face. The combined energy of all swells directed here is weak to moderate at best, with values like 226 and 232 – just not enough grunt to overcome the conditions.

There’s a slight bump in energy on the 16th of July, with combined energy hitting 443, but it’s still a short period (7 seconds) ESE swell with cross-on winds. Expect a 5 ft wave, but it’ll be a bumpy, wind-affected mess. The same goes for the 19th of July, with a 5 ft swell and 427 energy, but again, cross-on wind and short period. For the 20th of July, we see a 5 ft swell with 380 energy, but the wind is onshore from the SE at 9 to 12 mph, so it’s still poor.

Honestly, for a spot like Banzai, which is a fairly consistent reef, it’s a real letdown. The wind is just never good, and the swell direction is from the SE, which is a cross-on or onshore angle for this spot. The waves are short period, under 8 seconds, so they’ll be weak and sectiony. The whole setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest. It’s one of those blank runs where the forecasts will need to change a lot for it to get good.

Rusty.

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