Bawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s coming up over the next couple of weeks. The swell window’s open, but it’s not all going to be easy. We’ve got a solid run of bigger, powerful swells rolling in, but the wind and tide are going to make you pick your moments. The standout window is a beauty, but there’s some messy stuff around it.

We start off with Bawa on Wednesday the 19th of August. There’s some proper size on the cards – we’re looking at 8ft to 10ft of SSW swell, and this isn’t just any slop. The period is a very long 18 seconds, so this is deep ocean groundswell with serious energy. That’s enough to make Bawa, a reef and point setup, really start to work. But, it’s a bit on the big side for the less experienced, and the wind is cross-shore, not clean. The water’s sitting at 86°F, which is about average for the time of year. Thursday stays big, but we get cross-onshore winds with that SE and SSE breeze, making things choppy and less inviting.

Now, here’s where things get tasty. Friday the 21st of August. The swell drops a touch to 7ft, but it’s still a long 15-second SSW groundswell. The magic is the wind – glassy. Absolutely dead calm. This is going to be clean, lined-up, and all for the experienced crew. The wave comment says it’s excellent conditions for experienced surfers, and it’s easy to see why. The period is long, so there will be proper gaps between the sets, making the paddle out feel a bit easier, but the power is still there. This is the best on offer in the first week.

The weekend and the start of next week are a bit of a write-off. The wind switches around to cross-on and onshore through the 22nd to 25th, with the swell sitting around 5ft to 7ft. It’s not flat, but it’s not clean. You’ll be battling ripples and chop. There’s a brief window early on Wednesday the 26th with some glassy conditions on a 5ft SSW swell, but it’s a quick moment before the cross-on wind picks up again.

Looking further ahead, things get interesting again around Thursday the 27th of August. We get another glassy morning, this time with a 4ft SW swell and a 15-second period. That’s a long period again for a smaller wave, so it’ll be fat but have some push. Then there’s a bit of a gap in quality, but mark the 31st of August on your calendar. Monday morning is looking like a standout: a 8ft SW swell with a huge 18-second period and glassy conditions. That’s a powerful, clean, long-period groundswell for the experts. Monday afternoon gets messy, but Tuesday the 1st of September morning repeats the trick – a 8ft SSW swell, 17-second period, glassy wind, and excellent conditions. This is the second big standout, and it’s only a couple of days later.

The forecast confidence is a bit lower this far out, but the pattern looks solid. After that, there’s a bit of a drop-off in quality into the first few days of September, with more onshore winds and slowing swell. We finish the window on Thursday the 3rd of September with a nice clean-up: a 5ft SSW swell and a light offshore N wind. That’s a good sign, a clean finish to the run. So, to sum it up: Friday the 21st of August is your early pick, and then Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September are the ones to circle for a big, clean groundswell at Bawa.

Rusty.

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