Baya Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming for Baya Reef over the next couple of weeks.

The first stretch is a bit frustrating. From Tuesday 11 August through the middle of the month, we've got consistent swell running between 5 ft and 8 ft, mostly out of the SSW, with long-period groundswell pushing through—periods from 15 to 19 seconds. That's some serious energy, with combined swell energy readings in the thousands (like 5074 on Tuesday morning), which is strong to very strong. But the wind is mostly cross-shore or even a touch cross-onshore, with moderate to fresh breezes kicking up lumpy cross-chop in the afternoons. The water temp is about normal for this time of year. For a reef that loves a SW swell and needs offshore from the ENE, these conditions just aren't cooperating. You'd be fighting chop instead of getting clean waves. Honestly, for the first week, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the wind strength and direction.

The real standout comes on Friday 21 August. That Friday morning is our moment. We've got a clean 8 ft SSW swell with a solid 16-second period, and the wind turns cross-offshore from the SSE at a gentle 10 mph. That's the cleanest we'll see, with combined swell energy at 3940—massive power. This is excellent for experienced surfers; it's a bit heavy for beginners over 5 ft, but for the advanced crowd on a reef, this is the good stuff. The cross-offshore breeze will groom those long-period lines perfectly. Crowds are possible here, but it's worth it.

After that, from Saturday 22 August, the swell tapers off from around 7 ft down to about 5 ft by Tuesday 25 August. The periods stay around 15 seconds, so there's still some shape, but the wind goes back to cross-shore or moderate breezes, keeping things a little rough.

So, if you're picking a day, make it Friday 21 August morning. That's the one.

Rusty.

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