Bonza Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, checkin’ in with a look at what’s on the cards for Bonza Bay over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, it’s a mixed bag and there’s no real standout session for a while. The first week especially is plagued by dodgy wind and marginal conditions. The water temp is sittin’ pretty average for this time of year, so nothin’ wild there.

We kick off on Monday the 10th of August with a bit of a bumpy start. There’s a solid 8ft SSW swell rollin’ in for the morning, with a heap of energy behind it (1829), but that cross-shore wind from the SSW at 12 mph has it lookin’ messy and chopped out. By the arvo, it drops to 5ft from the SE, but the wind swings cross-onshore, so it’s still not worth paddlin’ out for.

Tuesday the 11th sees a bit more size – 7ft from the south in the morning, and then 7ft from the south in the arvo with a long 13-second period, so there’s some grunt (1708). But the onshore and cross-onshore winds keep things choppy and pretty ordinary.

Wednesday the 12th through to the start of the next week is a write-off. The swell stays small or gets mangled by strong cross-shore winds, mostly from the NE and ENE, gustin’ up to 19 or even 22 mph at times. The wave energy drops right off, and you’re lookin’ at poor conditions day after day. There’s a few sessions with a bit of size, like Friday the 14th with a 6ft E swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is a fresh cross-shore – just lumpy, bumpy, and not worth the effort.

There is a real glimmer of hope on Wednesday the 19th of August, about a week and a half out. The morning session is glassy – dead calm wind, with a clean 3ft E swell. The energy is weak (246), but for a small wave session on a river mouth like Bonza Bay, glassy conditions are pure gold. That’s your best bet for a clean, cruisy paddle. Keep an eye on it because the crowd factor is there – it can get busy sometimes, but with conditions that clean, it’s a trade-off.

After that, it gets messy again until Sunday the 23rd of August. That arvo sees a 6ft SSW swell with a long 14-second period (1529 energy) and a moderate cross-shore wind. It’s marginal but has some grunt. Then Monday the 24th of August morning brings the biggest swell of the whole forecast – a solid 7ft from the south with a very long 15-second period and massive energy (3019). That’s a proper groundswell. But it’s comin’ in with a cross-onshore wind, so it’s gonna be choppy. For the experienced crew, that’s a heavy session – too big for beginners for sure. That long period will be better lined up at a point or reef, but at a river mouth it could be a bit straight and dumpy.

Honestly, if you’re a kiter, some of those windy days with a bit of chop could be fun, but for a surfer, the only real standout is that glassy Wednesday the 19th morning. The rest is mostly a fight with the wind.

Rusty.

Read more