Bronte Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Bronte Beach, and the next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag—but there are a couple of windows worth paddling out for. The overall pattern has a mid-period swell hanging around for the first week, but it gets hammered by a lot of cross-shore wind, so it’s not always clean. For the most part, the surf is on the smaller side, with a couple of notable pulses that come with some messy winds. The best bet looks like Friday the 10th morning.

Right now, it’s Wednesday the 8th and the sets are pushing 8 ft from the SE with a 10-second period, but a 15 mph southerly cross-breeze is making it choppy and bumpy. The water temp is 64°F, which is about average for this time of year. Thursday the 9th drops a bit to 6 ft, still from the SE, but that cross-breeze is still there, so nothing to get excited about. The energy is moderate to strong at 1481 Wednesday, but the quality just isn’t there.

Friday the 10th morning is our standout. Swell sits at 5 ft from the SE, 9-second period, and the wind swings SW at 9 mph, setting up a clean cross-offshore flow. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions,” and the combined energy is moderate at 556. The water is about average for July. This is the best session in the whole outlook – clean, fun-sized waves that won’t be too intimidating for most. Afternoon on Friday the 10th goes a bit onshore, so get it early.

Saturday the 11th morning has a smaller 4 ft SE swell at 9 seconds, but the cross-offshore from the NW at 9 mph keeps it clean. It’s on the small side, but if you’re on a log, you might find a few corners. Sunday the 12th sees a steep drop off to 2 ft with a 22 mph offshore west wind. The combined energy plummets to 101, which is weak. It’s clean, but tiny.

From Monday the 13th through to Wednesday the 15th morning, the swell is really low, often under 3 ft, with weak energy readings between 13 and 135. That’s a few days of near flatness. Not much to say there.

Wednesday the 15th afternoon, a pulse of 8 ft from the south at 8 seconds shows up, but it’s onshore from the ENE at 6 mph, and the wave comment flags it as marginal—so that’s a no from me. The rest of the second week is pretty rough: strong winds starting Thursday the 16th, with a big 10 ft south-southeast swell at 8 seconds, but cross-onshore winds blow 22-28 mph, making it messy and dangerous. The combined energy jumps to 1164, but the conditions are poor. These bigger swells (over 8 ft) are really only for experts if you’re stupid enough to try—not recommended. This messy setup continues through to Monday the 20th with onshore and cross-onshore winds, leaving the surf lumpy and choppy.

Then we get another window. Tuesday the 21st morning looks promising: 5 ft from the SE at 10 seconds, with a light 6 mph WNW cross-offshore breeze. Combined energy is 532 (moderate). The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is our second standout—clean, punchy waves for a Tuesday session, though it’s over a week away so keep your fingers crossed. Wednesday the 22nd morning has a 3 ft SE swell with a 12 mph offshore west wind, so it’s clean but small. The rest of the outlook fades out to small, weak surf with onshore winds on Thursday the 23rd.

A note on Bronte: it’s a beach and reef setup that’s exposed to the SE swell—right in the sweet spot for the direction all through this forecast. It can get crowded, so on those good days like Friday the 10th and Tuesday the 21st, expect some company. Given the inconsistency of the good windows, you’ll want to jump on them when they line up.

Rusty.

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