Bonza Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Rusty here, and I've got to be straight with you – the outlook for Bonza Bay is a rough ride for the next couple of weeks. Don't get your hopes up for much quality time on the water.

We're looking at a real dry spell to kick things off. From now until about the 13th of September, it's pretty grim. The surf that is showing is weak and messy. On Thursday the 10th, we've got a tiny 4ft easterly swell with a weak energy reading (317), but it's got a cross-on wind ruining it. Nothing worth paddling out for.

Friday the 11th is a total write-off, with the swell dropping right off to 2ft. We finally get some proper swell direction from the SSW, but it's an inconsistent onshore mess. Saturday the 12th sees the energy pick up a bit, especially Saturday afternoon with a 5ft easterly swell and energy hitting 435, but it's a short-period, choppy windswell with cross-onshore winds at 30 km/h. That's a "leave the board in the car" kind of day.

Now, Sunday the 13th is where things get weird. The combined energy jumps massively to 1200, but it's a long-period SSW groundswell of 4ft with a period of 16 seconds coming straight in. That'll be breaking too straight and fast for this setup, and the cross-onshore wind is going to make it a bumpy, frustrating session. On the plus side, the water temperature is 61°, which is a massive 7° colder than normal for this time of year – that's a very unusual chill, so you'll need a thick wetsuit.

The calendar flips to the 14th of September, Monday, and that’s where we see something worth setting an alarm for. The morning is a total no-go – 10ft of easterly swell with huge energy (2902) and strong cross-shore winds. It’s just too big. But the afternoon? That’s the standout. The swell settles to a still-juicy 8ft from the east with a period of 10 seconds, the wind swings to a light northerly cross-offshore at 15 km/h, and it’s described as clean. This is an expert-level session for experienced surfers only (check your local guide for Bonza Bay's difficulty). It’s the best on offer in the whole forecast.

After that Monday high, it’s back to mediocrity. Tuesday the 15th has some 5ft swell but the winds and conditions are only marginal. Wednesday the 16th is blown out by strong 35 km/h winds. The 17th and 18th see more 6ft to 10ft swell, but the winds are either wrong or too strong, and the energy readings are massive but the conditions are terrible.

We get a weird blip on the 21st of September, Monday. The morning has a 4ft, very long-period SSW groundswell (17 seconds – 1311 energy) with a cross-shore breeze, giving marginal conditions. The afternoon cleans up with a cross-offshore wind and 6ft swell, but it's still only a marginal call.

Bottom line: the only real window for a proper surf is Monday, the 14th of September, in the afternoon. Everything else is either too small, too messy, too big, or blown to bits. If you're a beginner, stay home for the next two weeks. If you're a seasoned local, circle that Monday afternoon on your calendar.

Rusty

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