Bird Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board and listen up. Rusty here.

We’ve got a solid 16-day window ahead at Bird Rock, but it’s not all going to be a smooth ride. The pattern starts with a good, clean pulse on Sunday afternoon, then a bit of a lull, before building into a more promising run from the end of the first week and into the second. The standout session is shaping up for Sunday the 30th of August, with another strong option a few days later.

Let’s get into it. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is about 1° warmer than usual for this time of year. Honestly, that’s pretty standard, nothing to get excited about.

The first real call is Sunday afternoon, the 23rd of August. We’ve got a solid 5ft SW groundswell running with a very long 16-second period, punching in with a combined energy of 1735. That’s some serious juice. The wind is light offshore from the WNW, so the wave faces will be clean. This is a reef break for advanced surfers, and it’s fairly consistent. Keep in mind it’s "sometimes" crowded, so you might see a few others out. This is a top-tier session for experienced crew.

After that, the surf drops off a bit. Monday and Tuesday (24th and 25th) have some smaller, less powerful swell, and the wind is a mix of cross-off and glassy conditions on Tuesday afternoon. The energy is moderate, around 368 to 804, with 3ft to 4ft swell. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

There’s a noticeable gap in quality from Wednesday afternoon, the 26th, through to Friday morning, the 28th. Swell drops, wind turns onshore, and conditions get ordinary. The combined energy falls to between 202 and 230 on Thursday, with 2ft to 3ft swell. It’s a quiet patch.

Then, things start to fire up again. Friday morning, the 28th of August, brings a nice 4ft SW groundswell with an 18-second period and a combined energy of 896. The wind is light cross-off from the WNW, so it’s clean. That’s a very good session, setting the stage for the best of the run.

The absolute standout is Sunday morning, the 30th of August. You’re looking at 6ft of SSW groundswell, a very long 16-second period, and a massive combined energy of 2204. That’s pumping. The wind is light and cross-off from the WNW, meaning the waves will be clean. This is a solid, powerful swell for advanced surfers, and it’s marked as an excellent session. The size is getting up there, so it’s not for beginners.

The good energy continues into Monday and Tuesday, the 31st and 1st of September. We’re seeing 5ft to 5ft SW swell with 14-15 second periods, clean offshore winds from the NW, and combined energy around 857 to 970. These are very good, clean sessions.

The second week (from Wednesday, 2nd September onward) gets a bit less consistent. The swell stays around 3ft to 4ft, but the wind is often strong offshore, making it hard to get into the waves. The combined energy drops, and the scores are lower. There’s a big pulse on Saturday the 5th of September with 7ft of SW swell and a 15-second period, giving a huge combined energy of 3378, but the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-off, making it wild and only for the experienced. The final days of the outlook (6th and 7th) see small, weak swell and strong to near-gale winds, which is a write-off.

So, the call is simple: make the most of the Sunday afternoon 23rd, and definitely get out for Sunday morning the 30th of August. That’s the big one.

Rusty.

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