Bristol Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you: we’ve got a flat spell ahead. There’s no surf worth chasing in the 16-day window. The whole stretch from now through to the end of the period is a bust. Nearly every single session is tagged with poor surf conditions, and the scores are a flat zero. That’s a long, dry run, and it’s not unusual for this area when the wind and swell just won’t line up.

The only break we’re looking at is Bristol, a reef setup. It’s consistent, but that doesn’t help when the conditions are this bad. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, often a fresh breeze, and the swell is weak and short-period. The water temp is sitting at 73°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year – not a major anomaly, just a little on the warm side.

Starting Tuesday, August 4th, we have a tiny 3 ft swell from the north with a period of 7 seconds, and a moderate cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy is only 137 – that’s weak. The surf is poor and choppy. It doesn’t get any better. Wednesday and Thursday are more of the same: 4 ft to 4 ft from the NNE, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the period is short. The energy climbs a bit, hitting 223 on Thursday morning, but it’s all junk.

Friday the 7th through to the weekend sees the swell bump up a little, with Saturday morning hitting 6 ft and a combined energy of 413 – that’s moderate energy. But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy and messy. This is a beach-and-reef setup, and with that wind and chop, it’s honestly more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The second week follows the same pattern. Monday the 10th through to the 19th, the swell stays between 2 ft and 4 ft, the direction is mostly north or NNE, and the period hovers between 5 and 10 seconds. The wind is relentless – cross-onshore, moderate to fresh. The energy drops right off, with the 16th of August seeing only 51 and 59 on the combined energy scale. That’s barely a ripple.

There is a tiny glimmer on the 17th and 18th, where the period stretches to 10 seconds and the wind eases to a light breeze, but the swell is still only 3 ft to 3 ft, and the surf is still tagged as poor. The combined energy stays around 198 to 206 – still weak. It’s not enough to get excited about.

So, in short: don’t bother. The entire 16 days is a write-off. The finder had no recommendations, and the guidance file backs that up. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s just how it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, but right now, there’s nothing on the table.

Rusty.

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