Bay Front Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Bay Front over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, this is a tough run. Bay Front is a reef setup that rarely breaks, and the forecast is a real mixed bag of cross-onshore winds and messy conditions. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The first few days are a write-off. We’ve got rain showers and cross-onshore winds through the 24th and into the 25th, with weak, short-period swell around 4ft to 6ft. The combined energy is low to moderate (303 to 496 on the scale), and it’s just choppy and poor. Not worth paddling out for.

Things start to look a little more interesting from Sunday the 26th onward. The swell picks up, but it's still a bit messy. Sunday morning sees a 4ft easterly swell with a long 14-second period, energy ramping up to 754. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it's not glassy, but it's rideable. The afternoon holds a 4ft swell with a 15-second period, energy up to 888. It’s still marginal, but you can see the pulse coming.

Now, Monday the 27th is where it gets real. The swell jumps to 6ft in the morning, coming from the east with a solid 13-second period. The combined energy is a hefty 1467 (moderate to strong). The wind is offshore from the north-northeast, which is a major positive. The afternoon sees it push to 7ft, same direction, with energy at 1622. This is the best window on offer for the near-term. The offshore wind will keep it clean, but this is a reef break, and with that long-period groundswell, it’s going to be moving fast and powerful. This is for intermediate surfers who know the lineup.

Tuesday the 28th gets big, but it’s a problem. The morning shows 10ft of swell from the east-northeast with a 13-second period, energy screaming at 3543. That’s strong wave energy. But the wind is onshore from the north at 12 mph, and the conditions are described as “poor.” That’s huge, blown-out surf. This is for experts only, if anyone. The afternoon drops a little to 10ft with a 12-second period, still huge, with energy at 2798. The wind backs off to 9 mph, but it’s still onshore. It’s still a big, messy beast.

After that, the swell backs off, but we get a few clean windows. Wednesday the 29th afternoon has a 5ft east-northeast swell with an 8-second period, but the wind turns cross-offshore from the east-southeast. The description says “clean,” and that’s a rare sight in this forecast. Thursday the 30th morning has a similar setup: 6ft east swell, 8-second period, and cross-offshore winds from the east-southeast. Again, clean conditions. The energy is moderate (612). These are your best bets for a clean, fun, manageable wave, even if the period is short.

The second week gets quieter. The standout is Wednesday, August 5th. The morning sees a 5ft swell from the northeast with a 10-second period and cross-offshore winds from the east-southeast. The energy is 385, but the conditions are clean. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are mostly messy with cross-onshore winds again. Saturday the 8th has a 7ft swell from the east-northeast with an 8-second period, but the wind is just cross-shore. It’s marginal, not great.

Because this is a rare-breaking reef, the fact that we have a few clean windows with cross-offshore winds is the story. The best overall surf will be Monday the 27th for the dedicated, but for the cleanest, most manageable waves, aim for the afternoons of the 29th and 30th. The long-range stuff on August 5th is promising, but less certain.

Rusty, signing off.

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