Boiler Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The surf’s been a bit quiet lately, but the ocean’s got a few tricks up its sleeve over the next couple of weeks. We’re looking at a slow start, but don’t hang up your wetsuit just yet.

Right off the bat, the first couple of mornings are looking clean, but the swell is tiny. We’re talking ankle-biters in the 2 ft range, so it’s not really worth paddling out unless you just want to get wet. The wind is light though, with a bit of cross-off push out of the SW, so the surface is glassy. The energy is weak at this point (232), so the ocean’s just catching its breath.

The run through to the end of August and the first day of September stays pretty small. There are some clean moments, but the swell doesn’t have any push. The period is long, 15 seconds or more, which is nice, but there just isn’t any height behind it. It’ll be a lot of bobbing around for not much reward. The mornings on the 30th and 31st look particularly pretty with completely glassy conditions, which will be great for a splash, but don't expect much more than a knee-high ripple.

But then, things start to wake up. On the morning of the 1st of September, the swell bumps up just a little to 4 ft, and it’s clean with a light cross-off breeze. The swell period drops to 9 seconds, which makes it a bit more crumbly and fun on a reef setup. The energy is starting to build (428). From here on, it just gets better.

The 2nd and 3rd of September are where it starts to get really fun. On the morning of the 2nd, we’ve got a proper offshore wind from the SSW at 15 km/h and the swell is holding at 4 ft with a clean face. But it’s the morning of the 3rd that has me stoked. We’re looking at a 5 ft swell from the WNW, with light offshore winds and a completely glassy afternoon. The energy is hitting over 600, and the wave comment for that day is "very good surf conditions". This is a standout, with clean lines, a solid push, and the reef at Boiler Bay (this region) will be working nicely. This is the pick of the first week, no doubt.

Now, the second week brings a bit of a curveball. The 4th of September sees the swell jump up to 6 ft in the morning, but the north wind starts to mess things up. It’s cross-on and choppy, and by the afternoon it’s fully onshore and lumpy. That’s more of a mess than a surf. We’re getting into the size now, but the quality drops off a cliff. This isn't for the faint-hearted; there’s a lot of water moving. The period is a short 10 seconds, so it’s going to be a bit sectiony.

The 5th is similar, with a solid 5-5 ft of west-northwest groundswell but the north wind is ruining it. If you’re an expert, there might be some heavy, blown-out waves to be had, but for the average punter, it’s a miss. This looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, to be honest.

After that, the swell drops back, but the wind stays onshore and messy through the 6th and 7th. It’s still in the 3 ft range, but the conditions are just not there.

The last few days of the outlook are a bit more promising. From the 8th on, we’ve got a long period (18 seconds) west-northwest swell moving in, but it’s running into cross-onshore winds. The size is modest, in the 2 ft to 3 ft range, but there’s energy in the water (energy readings start to get up over 650). It’s not perfect, but there’s a chance. Then on the morning of the 10th of September, we get a proper glass-off. The wind goes calm, the sun’s out, and there’s a clean 3 ft of long-period WNW groundswell. That morning is another standout. And again, on the morning of the 11th, we have a glassy 3 ft wave with a 12-second period. The end of the run looks like it might save the week.

So, the long and short of it: the first few days are a write-off for real surfing. The standout is definitely the 3rd of September, with good size, clean winds, and solid energy. The mornings of the 10th and 11th look great for cleaner, smaller waves if you’re after something a bit more relaxed.

Keep an eye on the ocean. It’s starting to talk.

Later,
Rusty.

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