Bikini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, crew. Let's talk about our wave window for the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you—this stretch is a quiet one for Bikini. The good news is, we've got a few moments that are worth paddling out for, but you'll need to be patient and pick your sessions carefully. The overall pattern is small, with a lot of onshore or cross-onshore junk in between. Don't expect any barnstormers, but there's a clean window or two to get a few fun ones.

The first real glimmer comes Thursday morning, 27th August. We've got a little 3 ft swell rolling in from the SE, with a period of 13 seconds—that's a sweet groundswell offering solid shape and energy. But the real kicker is the wind: glassy, NNE at just 3 mph. That's as good as it gets for clean conditions. Combined wave energy sits at 376 (moderate), so there's some push behind it. It's an advanced wave, and Bikini is a consistent spot, so you'll be sharing the lineup (crowds are often), but for a Thursday morning, it might be a little quieter than a weekend. This is your standout window. The water temp is sitting at 51°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

After that, things get messy. Thursday afternoon through to the end of the month, we're looking at a mix of small, weak swells and cross-on winds. The combined energy drops off a cliff, down to 60 or even 5. It's a dead spell. Even the clean spells on the 30th and 31st have nearly no swell to work with—0.3 ft to 2 ft with next to no energy. You'll be sitting on a board for nothing.

We get a tiny flicker on the 3rd of September. Thursday morning brings a 3 ft SE swell, period at 9 seconds, with a light offshore N wind at 6 mph. The energy is 125 (moderate), and the water is clean. It's not a standout, but it's surfable and ordinary. The Thursday afternoon is even glassier with SE wind at 3 mph, and a 2 ft S swell. Again, small, but clean. The 4th of September Friday morning is also glassy with a 2 ft S swell, period 11 seconds, but it's tiny. These are just "get a few in" sessions.

Then we hit another gap. From the 5th through to the 8th, it's a wasteland of cross-onshore and onshore winds with swells under 2 ft. Not worth a paddle.

The next real chance doesn't come until the 9th of September. Wednesday morning is glassy with ENE wind at 3 mph, and a 2 ft S swell, period 10 seconds. It's small, but perfectly clean. Then Wednesday afternoon, the swell jumps to 5 ft from the SE, period 9 seconds, with a clean cross-off wind from E at 9 mph. The combined energy hits 336 (moderate to strong). The wave comment says "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions," so keep that in mind—it might be a bit fat or shut down at certain tides. But it's the biggest, cleanest option in the second week.

Thursday 10th September morning pushes even bigger at 5 ft SE, period 9 seconds, with ENE wind at 12 mph, cross-off. Energy is 407 (moderate). Again, it's marginal, but for a bigger day, it might be your best bet for size. The afternoon gets windier (19 mph), so don't linger.

For the whole run, Bikini is a beach and point setup, very consistent, and exposed to S swell, which is fine for these SE swells. The optimum swell direction is S, so these SE swells are a little off-angle but still workable. If you're a beginner, the 5 ft and 5 ft days might be a bit much, but the 2 ft to 3 ft sessions are more manageable.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Thursday morning, 27th August: glassy, 3 ft SE groundswell, clean, and a solid window to get some waves. The second best is Wednesday 9th September afternoon: 5 ft SE, clean cross-off, but watch the tide. Everything else is a gamble or a sit-on-the-beach day.

Rusty.

Read more