Bristol Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the Bristol area over the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – the outlook is a proper struggle for a solid stretch. We’re lookin’ at a long, dry spell with no real surf on offer from now until the end of July. The first chance of anything worthwhile doesn’t pop up until Monday, 3 August, so that’s a gap of over a week with nothing to get excited about.

From Friday, 24 July right through to Saturday, 1 August, it’s a write-off. The wind is hammerin’ in from the NNE and N, mostly fresh cross-onshore, just choppin’ everything up. Swell is there, runnin’ between 4 ft and 6 ft, but it’s short-period windswell and the conditions are just poor. The wave energy is moderate, with values around 129 to 367 (kilojoules per metre), but it’s messy and lumpy – not worth paddlin’ out. Even the few days where the wind goes “on” on the 30th and 31st, it’s still poor surf and the period is short, around 6 to 7 seconds.

Now, things start to look a little more hopeful on Sunday, 2 August. The swell drops right off to 2 ft, but the period stretches to 11 seconds from the NNW – that’s a proper groundswell pulse. The energy is still moderate at 226, but the wind is cross-shore and light. It’s still labeled as poor conditions, but it’s a step in the right direction.

The standout window is Monday, 3 August through Tuesday, 4 August. This is the best on offer, and it’s still not perfect, but it’s the pick of the bunch.

On Monday, 3 August, we get a clean morning with the wind swingin’ to WNW, light at 6 mph, and blowin’ cross-offshore. The swell is only 2 ft from the NNW, but the period is 10 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 251. It’s clean, but the waves are small and ordinary. The afternoon picks up a bit, with the swell hittin’ 3 ft from the N and a 12-second period, which is a lovely long interval. The wind stays cross-off at 12 mph, so it’s clean. The energy jumps to 385. It’s marginal, but this is the best chance for a surfable wave.

Tuesday, 4 August, the morning holds similar promise: 4 ft from the N, 12-second period, cross-off wind at 16 mph. The energy is strong at 416. It’s still rated as marginal, but the conditions are clean. The afternoon turns to cross-shore wind and drops off to a 4 ft, 11-second swell, but the energy is still solid at 344.

After that, the swell fades again. Wednesday, 5 August, is clean but tiny, with 2 ft, and the rest of the week into early August sees small, short-period windswell, with the wind shiftin’ around from NW to NNE. The energy stays moderate, between 191 and 304, but the period is short, and the conditions are often cross-shore or onshore. The wind does get light at times, which is nice, but the swell just isn’t there.

So, for the whole 16-day window, the only real shout is the first two days of August. The best bet is Bristol (reef) on Monday, 3 August afternoon, with that 3 ft N swell at 12 seconds, and clean cross-off wind. Tuesday morning is also a goer, with 4 ft and the same clean wind. The wind state is the key here – that cross-off breeze makes all the difference. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no need to worry about a freak warm or cold pool.

The rest of the time? Honestly, it’s lookin’ more like a kite-surfing window with that fresh onshore wind and lumpy 5 ft swell. Not much for the paddle crew.

Keep your eyes on the forecast for the first week of August, but for now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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