Bay Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s look at what’s coming up for Bay Street. The forecast kicks off with a real gem on Sunday afternoon, but then it’s a long, frustrating stretch of onshore junk and tiny waves for nearly two weeks. The only window of quality surf is right at the start.

The first real action hits Sunday the 6th of September in the afternoon. Bay Street is exposed to the swell, and we’re seeing a solid 3.6ft of south swell with a 14-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, long and lined up, and combined with a very light NE breeze at 3 mph, it’s going to be glassy, clean, and beautiful. The water temp is sitting at 72.1°, which is a wild 6.3° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you’ll be in for a treat. The combined energy of all swells is moderate at 536, so there’s enough push to make it fun. This is the standout of the whole window. The optimum swell direction for Bay Street is WSW, and this south swell is a bit off that, but with such clean conditions and waist-to-chest high waves, it’s still a no-brainer for beginners and intermediates. Crowds are possible as it’s sometimes busy, but with the quality, it’ll be worth it.

Monday morning the 7th is still very good – 3.3ft south swell, 12-second period, and glassy conditions with a light SSW breeze at 3 mph. The energy is still strong at 594, and it’s clean. But by Monday afternoon, the wind swings onshore from the SW at 9 mph, and the surf turns poor. After that, it’s a long grind. From Tuesday the 8th right through to Monday the 21st of September, the swell drops below 3ft almost every day, with periods mostly in the 14-to-19-second range, but the wind is nearly always onshore or cross-onshore from the SW or SSW. The wave heights get as low as 1ft or 1.3ft, and the energy drops from moderate to weak (values like 114, 169, 155). Many days are described as poor surf conditions or marginal at best. There’s a brief blip on the 14th where a 3.9ft W swell shows up, but it’s a short 7-second period and the wind is onshore, so it’s messy and not worth paddling out. From the 8th to the 21st, there’s no real recommendation – it’s a two-week stretch of mostly flat, choppy, or onshore slop.

So, bottom line: hit Bay Street on Sunday the 6th afternoon or Monday morning the 7th for the cleanest, most fun waves of the whole 16-day window. After that, you’re better off waiting for the next forecast change.

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