Baya Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna level with you right from the start: this stretch at Baya Beach is a bit of a frustrating one. The swell is there, no doubt about it, but the wind gods just aren't playing ball. We’ve got a constant cross-onshore breeze, which is wrecking the surface on almost every session. The water temp is sitting at 78°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent spring suit.

The best bet across the whole 16-day window is looking like the morning of Sunday the 20th of September, with Monday the 28th of September morning also a contender. On Sunday the 20th, the swell is a solid 7 ft from the SW with a long 16-second period, carrying strong wave energy (2122). The wind is light out of the south at 6 mph – still cross-onshore, but light enough that it’ll be rideable and not too chopped up. The break is exposed to the swell and fairly consistent, so there’ll be waves. The rating is a modest "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions," but with that size and that light wind, it’s the pick of a tricky lot. Mondays the 21st and 28th of September mornings also show 6 ft-7 ft SW and SSW swells with light south winds, but those 7 ft days are getting into the "too big for beginners" territory.

Now, for the rest of the run, it’s a lot of cross-onshore wind, often blowing fresh at 12-19 mph, making the ocean lumpy and choppy. The swells hang around the 4 ft to 6 ft mark through the first week, with moderate to strong combined energy (values like 763 to 1938). The period is consistently in the 14-17 second range, so it’s proper groundswell, but without decent wind, it’s a mess. The afternoons are particularly bad with moderate to fresh breezes. There’s a bit of a lull in swell on the 22nd and 24th of September with smaller 4 ft-5 ft waves, but the wind is still ruining the surface.

Around the 26th to 28th of September, there’s some bigger SSW swell showing up in the 7 ft-7 ft range again, with strong energy numbers (over 2000). The periods are nice and long, 15-16 seconds. But the wind stays cross-onshore, light on the morning of the 28th, which makes that morning the other standout. On the morning of the 27th, we see a smaller 4 ft swell but with a very long 20-second period and strong energy (2147) – that’s a super long-period groundswell, which might offer some clean lines at the right tide, but the wind is light cross-onshore again.

Honestly, if the wind doesn’t swing offshore, this setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, given the consistent cross-onshore winds and decent wave heights. The crowds are "sometimes" an issue here, but on the quieter mornings, you might have it less busy.

So what’s the call? If you’ve got to get wet, aim for the morning of Sunday the 20th of September or Monday the 28th of September. They’re not perfect, but they’re the least ugly. Keep an eye on the wind, because a small shift could turn this whole week around.

Rusty.

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