Bird Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Bird Rock over the next couple of weeks. The window starts on Wednesday the 19th of August, but don't get too excited just yet – we've got a bit of a slow start.

Wednesday afternoon will see a tiny 1ft SW groundswell pushing through with a long 16-second period, but a 20 km/h N cross-off wind keeps it clean. Still, it’s tiny and weak with combined energy of just 85. Not worth getting wet for, really.

Thursday the 20th picks up a little. The morning shows 1ft SW swell at 14 seconds with a clean offshore NW breeze at 20 km/h. Energy bumps to 105. By the afternoon, the swell nudges up to 2ft with a 16-second period and a gentler 15 km/h NW offshore wind, energy climbing to 167. Surfable, but still very ordinary.

We finally get something to talk about on Friday morning the 21st. Swell lifts to 3ft from the SW, 15-second period, and a solid 20 km/h WNW offshore wind. Combined energy jumps to 350, and the wave comment says "expect good surf conditions." The afternoon holds 2ft at 18 seconds with 374 energy and the same clean offshore wind. Bird Rock (Tahiti) is a reef break, so that long-period SW groundswell will wrap in nicely here.

Saturday the 22nd sees a proper step up. Morning brings 5ft SW swell at 15 seconds with a W cross-off at 15 km/h, energy at 1179. It’s a bit jumbled though. The afternoon cleans up: 5ft, 15 seconds, WNW 10 km/h cross-off, energy still high at 1123. The comment says "expect very good surf conditions." This is where it starts to get fun.

Sunday the 23rd is a standout. Morning has 5ft SW swell, 14-second period, NW offshore at 15 km/h, 1007 energy – "very good surf conditions." But the afternoon is the pick: 5ft at 16 seconds, WNW 10 km/h cross-off, energy cranking to 1387. The report calls it "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." That’s your first real highlight. It’s not huge, but the combination of long-period groundswell and glassy, clean winds will have Bird Rock reeling off some tidy lefts. Crowds can be a thing here sometimes, so keep your eyes open.

A couple of smaller but still good sessions roll through Monday the 24th – 2ft in the morning and 3ft in the afternoon, both with offshore winds and moderate energy.

Then things go quiet again. Tuesday the 25th through Thursday the 27th are mostly onshore or weak. Wednesday the 26th does show a bump to 7ft from the SW but with a short 10-second period and a SE onshore breeze – messy, marginal stuff.

Now, here’s the big one. Friday morning the 28th – get ready. The swell pumps up to 10ft from the SW with a 13-second period and a light NNW offshore at 15 km/h. Combined energy explodes to 5395. The report says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." This is for experts only – 10ft at a reef is serious. That afternoon eases to 4ft but turns glassy (5 km/h NW) with a 16-second period and 1602 energy. Another excellent session.

Saturday the 29th is a mixed bag. The morning sees 12ft SW swell at 14 seconds, energy 6935 – massive energy – but an ENE cross wind at 10 km/h makes it a bit lumpy. Definitely expert territory only. The afternoon drops to 8ft but goes onshore from the ESE.

From Sunday the 30th onwards, the swell sticks around but the wind turns against us, with cross and cross-on winds making things messy through to the end of the run. There’s a brief window on Monday the 31st with 4ft SW at 16 seconds and a cross wind that might offer something if you’re keen, and a couple of tiny clean spells on September 2nd, but nothing to get worked up about.

Best on offer: Sunday the 23rd afternoon is your pick for clean, fun-size waves without the heavy overhead stuff. But for the real standout, it’s Friday the 28th – that 10ft SW groundswell with offshore wind will have Bird Rock absolutely firing for experienced surfers. The energy is off the charts at 5395. That’s the one to circle on the calendar.

Water temp sits at 14°, which is about normal for this time of year – nothing weird there.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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