Bawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks. The ocean is gonna be switching gears a lot, from clean and fun to big and heavy. We start out okay, then it gets wild, then we get another clean shot at it later on.

First up, we’re looking at Bawa for Sunday morning, August 16. Bit of cloud cover, but the wind is dead glassy from the ESE at 3 mph. That’s prime. We got head-high surf at 4.6ft, coming from the S with a long 14-second period. The energy reading is strong at 1073. It’s an exposed reef and point, so that long-period swell should be peeling nicely. Only for the advanced crew, but it’s going to be clean. Water temp is about normal for this time of year. The afternoon looks like it might get a little tricky with tides, so get on it early.

Monday the 17th, the swell drops to 2.9ft from the SW, but the wind goes onshore and it gets messy. Choppy and poor. Not worth paddling out.

Now, here’s where it starts to fire. Tuesday, August 18, the energy starts building. The morning is still glassy with a slightly bigger 3.9ft SSW swell, but the period is a massive 21 seconds. True groundswell. The energy jumps to 2435. It’s only gonna get better. By the afternoon, the swell is pumping at 7.2ft, still from the SSW, with a 19-second period. The wind is still glassy, a light 3 mph SW breeze. Energy is cranking at 3538. This is the standout of the first week. The point will be firing. That long period might make it a bit sectiony, but for the experienced crew, it’s going to be proper.

Hold on for Wednesday, August 19. This is when it gets serious. The swell is big. We’re talking 8.2ft in the morning, pushing 9.8ft by the afternoon. Solid SSW swell at 18 seconds. The energy is huge – hitting 4290 in the morning and 5169 in the afternoon. That’s strong and powerful. But, and it’s a big but, the wind goes cross-on and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. It won't be as clean as Tuesday. This is expert territory, no doubt.

Thursday the 20th holds the size, with 9.8ft in the morning and 8.2ft in the afternoon, and period drops to a still-strong 16 seconds. Wind stays cross-on with more storm risk. It’s powerful and heavy, but the surface is going to be bumpy. Only for the real chargers.

Friday the 21st, the swell starts to drop, from 6.9ft down to 5.9ft through the day. But the wind is messy and onshore, so quality is gone. It’s a choppy mess. I’d give it a miss.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd, the swell hangs around in the 5.6ft to 7.5ft range from the SSW. Winds stay light and cross-on, with a chance of a storm. It’s still got some push, but the surface is going to be average. Not the pick.

Early next week, the 24th and 25th, the swell backs down to 3.6ft to 4.9ft. The energy drops, and it looks marginal. The wind is light, so it's not terrible, but it's not great either. You might find a cleanish one in the mornings, but don't get too excited.

But then, a break. Wednesday morning, August 26, it goes glassy again with a small 3.6ft SSW swell at 14 seconds. The energy is down at 915, but it’s clean. Fun, small waves for the logs, but not much push.

Hold on, though. Thursday, August 27, we get our second standout. The swell jumps back up to 5.9ft in the morning and 6.2ft in the afternoon, from the SW with a long 17-second period. The wind is glassy again. The energy is back over 2000. This looks like another day of proper, clean point surf. A promising session, a real return to form.

Friday the 28th keeps the size at 5.2ft to 5.6ft, and the morning is absolutely dead calm. Zero wind. You can’t get better than that. The swell is a bit smaller but still has that long 15-16 second period. The point will be very workable.

The final stretch, August 29 to 31, sees the swell pulse again. The 30th brings 6.9ft from the SW, and then Monday morning, August 31, we get another

Read more