Bawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the story on Bawa. We’re looking at a solid stretch of groundswell, but the first week or so is a bit of a tease – the waves are there, but conditions are holding them back. The real standout is way out at the end of the forecast.

Right now, the water at Bawa is sitting at 86°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so you won’t need any extra rubber.

The first real action kicks off Thursday afternoon, August 20th, with a 8ft SSW groundswell, period 16 seconds, and a combined energy of 3486. That’s serious energy, but it’s coming with a southerly wind onshore and the surf is labelled as marginal. It’s a big swell for a reef and point, so this is for advanced surfers only. Friday morning, the 21st, still has good size at 7ft SSW, but the wind is cross-onshore, and again, it’s marginal. This pattern of decent size but messy wind carries on through the weekend and into the start of the next week. The swell stays around 6ft to 7ft through to Tuesday the 25th, but it’s either cross-onshore or onshore, keeping the quality down. The energy is still strong, dropping from 2738 down to 1384, but the conditions just aren’t cooperating.

We get a bit of a drop mid-week, with Wednesday the 26th seeing smaller 3ft to 5ft SSW swell, and the energy drops to 557 to 766. It’s not big, but the wind shifts lighter. Thursday the 27th sees a pulse of long-period groundswell – 4ft to 5ft SW, but with a period of 18 seconds, giving a combined energy of 1800. That’s a lot of grunt for a small wave, and with light winds it could be fun, but again, it’s labelled marginal. The end of the first week and into the second week sees a similar story: decent 7ft SSW swell on Friday the 28th, but with cross-onshore wind, and it tapers off through the weekend.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. There’s a quiet gap in the action, but the true standout is on Tuesday, September 1st. That morning, we’ve got a 8ft SSW groundswell rolling in with a period of 18 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 3608. The wind is glassy, and the surf is rated as excellent for experienced surfers. This is it – the best on offer. The swell is big, the direction is perfect from the SSW (which is the optimum for Bawa), and the glassy conditions will make it clean. The long period means it’s a powerful groundswell, so expect solid, well-shaped waves at this reef and point break. It’s going to be a bit of a crowd, as it’s sometimes busy, but for the advanced crew, this is the session to aim for.

Wednesday morning, September 2nd, is still excellent, with a 8ft SSW swell, 16 seconds, and glassy conditions again. The energy is 2750, so still a big day. After that, we get a shift to offshore winds on Thursday the 3rd, with a 6ft SSW swell and a northerly breeze, keeping things clean. That’s a solid option for the experienced surfer as well.

The last mention is Friday, September 4th, with a very long-period 3ft S swell, 22 seconds, and glassy conditions. The energy is 1419, which is moderate for that sized wave, but that long period means it’s gonna be a bit tricky – it might run too straight at the beach breaks, but Bawa is a reef and point, so it should handle it well.

So, to wrap it up: a lot of average days in the first week with size but poor wind, then a corker of a window around September 1st and 2nd. That Tuesday morning is the one to circle. The long-range stuff around September 3rd and 4th is looking promising too, but we’ll keep an eye on it.

Stay wet, stay keen.
Rusty.

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