Bonza Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking at Bonza Bay.

The outlook starts out with a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a small window of clean surf early on, then a few days where the wind and swell just don't line up, but the real story is a massive pulse of energy coming through around the 20th of July that’s going to be one for the experienced crew only.

The first real go is on Tuesday morning, 14 July. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird there. Bonza Bay is a river mouth set-up, exposed to the south swell, and it’s pulling in a solid 6ft of ESE swell with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 544, and with glassy conditions and zero wind, it’s going to be clean. That’s a solid morning session. The crowd factor is ‘sometimes’, so you might have a few mates out, but nothing crazy. That afternoon, the wind swings cross-on and the quality drops right off.

Wednesday and Thursday morning look okay, but not as clean. Thursday morning, 16 July, is worth a mention though. The swell drops to 4ft, but the period jumps to 11 seconds and the energy climbs to 709. With glassy conditions again, it’ll be clean and lined up, though the swell direction is a bit east for the optimum south wind.

Then we hit a bit of a flat spell. From Friday afternoon through to Sunday, the wind is mostly cross-shore or cross-on, with moderate breezes and a messy chop. The swell sticks around 3ft to 5ft, but the quality is poor to marginal. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday, 20 July, is a beast. The morning brings a 13ft SSW swell with a period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 6794. That’s serious, powerful water. The wind is light cross-on, but the comment says it’s too big for the break. This is a river mouth, so that much water is going to be a washing machine. Only for experts, and even then, it’s going to be a battle. The afternoon is still huge at 10ft.

The best bet for the run-up to the end of the week is Tuesday, 21 July. The morning has a 6ft south swell with 11-second period and glassy conditions. The energy is still strong at 1577, but it’s manageable for experienced surfers. The wind is glass, and the break should be clean. The afternoon is even better for the pure wave quality: a 4ft SSW swell with a very long 16-second period, glassy, and the energy is 1375. That long period groundswell will wrap nicely into the river mouth, offering long, clean lines. That afternoon session on Tuesday, 21 July, is the standout of the whole outlook.

Wednesday, 22 July, morning is also excellent with a 5ft SSW swell, a 15-second period, and a gentle offshore wind from the NNW. That’s clean, offshore, and the 1257 energy is strong. It’s a great session.

After that, the surf drops off again. From Thursday, 23 July, onwards, the wind gets messy, the swell shrinks, and the quality falls away. The 24th and 25th are poor, with small weak swell and cross-shore winds. The 26th has a tiny 2ft SSW swell with a very long 18-second period, but the wind is cross-off, so it’s clean but tiny. The 27th is a write-off with strong winds. The 28th and 29th bring some small, marginal swell, but nothing to get excited about.

So, the bottom line: get out there on Tuesday morning, 14 July, for the first clean glassy session, but the absolute best is Tuesday afternoon, 21 July, and Wednesday morning, 22 July. That’s the pick of the pack. The big 20th is for the brave.

Rusty.

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