Bird Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s happening at Bird Rock (reef). The coming weeks have a bit of a slow start, but there’s some serious firepower waiting for the experienced crew further out.

Right now, the water temp is sitting at 56.5°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first real window kicks off on Sunday afternoon, September 6th. We’ve got a solid 8.2ft swell rolling in from the SW with a strong 14-second period. The combined wave energy is pumping at 2951 – that’s strong, and you’ll feel it. Winds are a gentle cross-off from the SW at 9 mph, so conditions will be clean. This is excellent for experienced surfers only, as that size and power is too much for beginners. The swell direction lines up perfectly with the optimum SW, so Bird Rock will be handling it well.

Monday the 7th is a write-off with messy, cross-shore winds and poor surf, so skip it.

Tuesday morning, September 8th, is a real standout. The swell drops to 3.0ft, but the period stretches out to a very long 18 seconds – this is proper groundswell. Energy is still moderate at 1107. The wind is light and cross-off from the W at 6 mph, giving us glassy, clean conditions. For a reef setup like Bird Rock, that long period will wrap in nicely and offer some beautiful, lined-up waves. This is the best quality session of the early week for someone who wants clean, manageable waves.

Wednesday and Thursday (9th and 10th) see the swell jump back up to 8.2ft and beyond, but the wind turns fresh and cross, making it lumpy and less appealing. However, Thursday morning (September 10th) has cross-off wind again and a clean 8.2ft swell from the SSW with 16-second period and energy at 4172. That’s a powerful, clean window for experts only.

From Friday the 11th through the weekend of the 12th-13th, the swell backs off. Saturday the 12th is a nice little highlight: a 5.2ft SW swell, 15-second period, and light to near-calm cross-off winds from the NNE. The energy is 1193, and conditions will be clean. A great day for a more relaxed session without the crowd pressure (crowds are only sometimes here).

Then we hit a gap. From Sunday afternoon, September 13th, through to Tuesday, September 15th morning, the surf gets small and weak – under 3ft with poor energy. Not worth the paddle.

Things wake up again on Tuesday afternoon, September 15th, with a 10ft SW swell and 12-second period, but it’s cross-on wind and choppy – messy for paddling, but that kind of power and a beach-reef setup might get the kitesurfers excited more than us.

The next true standout is Thursday, September 17th. The morning brings a 7.5ft SW groundswell at 16 seconds with offshore winds from the NNW at 12 mph. Clean, powerful, and the energy is 2773. Then the afternoon gets even bigger: 14.8ft from the SW, still 16 seconds, but now the wind cranks offshore at 22 mph. The combined energy hits 11928 – that’s extremely strong. This is a full-on big-wave day for experts only, and it looks absolutely pumping if you’ve got the nerve. This is the biggest and most powerful window of the whole outlook.

The following days (September 18th-20th) have solid swell and clean wind at times, but it’s less consistent and often cross-off or strong offshore. There’s a nice little treat on Monday, September 21st: a 5.9ft SW swell, 14 seconds, with light offshore wind from the NW at 6 mph in the morning. Then in the afternoon, the wind drops to 0 mph – glassy conditions with a 5.2ft SW swell. That’s a rare, perfect moment for a smooth session.

Overall, the two best windows to circle are Tuesday morning, September 8th, for clean, long-period waves, and Thursday, September 17th, for a massive, powerful, and clean big-swell day. The long-range stuff around the 21st looks promising but less certain.

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