Bondi Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's suss out what's on the menu for Bondi Beach over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, the first week is a bit of a write-off, but there's a glimmer of hope later on.

The pattern starts with a thumping, messy southerly swell that's way too big and blown out for a paddle. Wednesday afternoon the 9th sees a solid 10 ft swell from the south, but it's hammered by a 31 mph southerly wind. The water temp is 64°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. The combined energy is a massive 1009 (moderate), but it's all for nothing.

Thursday the 10th is still a write-off – 8 ft south swell, but onshore winds and poor surf. Friday the 11th drops a bit to 6 ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore, and the combined energy down to 556 (moderate). The surf is just ordinary.

Then we get a taste of something good. Saturday morning the 12th is the first real standout. Bondi Beach cleans right up with a glassy 3 mph westerly, and the swell drops to 4 ft from the SSE with a 12-second period, giving it some proper shape. The combined energy is 478 (moderate). The "expect good surf conditions" comment tells you all you need to know. It's a beginner-friendly spot, so it'll be a great morning for a longboard or a foamie. The wind is absolutely perfect – glassy. Beware though, crowds are often here, so get in early.

After that, it fades out fast. Sunday the 13th through to Tuesday the 15th of September is a long run of tiny, weak, or onshore junk. The swell drops to 3 ft or less, with combined energy falling to just 45 (weak) on the 15th. There's a gap of about four days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Wednesday the 16th offers a tiny bit of hope with 4 ft south swell and a moderate 383 (moderate) energy, but it's cross-shore and only marginal. Not a highlight.

The big return is on the 18th of September. Friday afternoon sees a solid 8 ft south swell, but it's a short-period 7-second wind swell, smashing in with a 9 mph cross-onshore wind and combined energy of 653 (moderate). The comment says "marginal", and at that size, you'd want to be a strong intermediate or expert. The setup is a beach, so a short period wind swell like this will be chunky and messy – more of a hassle than a joy.

Saturday the 19th of September is the biggest energy of the whole outlook. We're looking at a 10 ft SSE swell with an 11-second period. The combined energy is a massive 1788 (strong). But it's onshore, with a 16 mph SSE wind, and the condition is "poor." This is genuinely big groundswell – over 8 ft, so it's only for experts. A long period south swell like this can break straight at a beach, so it's a full-on, heavy wave. The wind is ruining it though.

The last real standout appears on Sunday the 20th of September. The morning sees a 6 ft SSE swell, dropping to a 10-second period, with a clean offshore northerly breeze at 12 mph. The combined energy is 532 (moderate) and the comment is "marginal" but the score of 2/10 is the highest we've seen. The wind is off, the swell is solid, and it's a clean morning. For a beginner, 6 ft is a bit punchy, but for a shortboarder, this is your best window. The swell direction is SSE, which matches the optimum S direction well enough. It's not a classic, but it's the best we've got.

After that, the 21st through the 24th of September is a slow fade back to tiny, under 3 ft, with weak energy, and the wind is mostly off but the swell is just too small.

The standout for the whole period is Saturday morning the 12th of September. It's the only day with glassy conditions and a clean, rideable 4 ft swell. It's small, but it's perfect. The call is a bit less certain, but the near-term forecast is solid. The other one to watch is Sunday morning the 20th of September, which is a promising but less certain call for a clean, solid 6 ft south swell. It's a long-range option, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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