Bruces Beauties Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag around here. We’ve got a slow start, a big burst of energy that’ll be too messy for most, and then a chance of something clean right at the end. Hang tight.

First up, Bruces Beauties (reef) is the only spot on the radar. The next few days are pretty flat and weak. Wednesday the 5th kicks things off with a small 3 ft SSW swell, but it’s got a long 15-second period and the energy is only moderate (656). The morning wind is a cross-offshore breeze, so it might have a clean look, but the scores are low. It’s just not doing much. The afternoon is similar, with a 4 ft E swell at 10 seconds. The combined energy drops off to 231, so it’s weak.

Thursday the 6th is even smaller. You’re looking at 2 ft E swells both morning and afternoon. The wind is up, 25 km/h and 20 km/h, and while it’s offshore, it’s not going to make silk out of a pig’s ear. The energy is weak, in the 80s and 90s. This is a day to do something else.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. That run of weak surf gets blown out of the water on Sunday the 9th. A big SSW swell rolls in, hitting 13 ft by the afternoon with a 13-second period. The combined energy is a massive 5326, which is strong to very strong. But the wind is a near gale, 50 km/h, cross-offshore. The conditions are going to be lumpy and wild. This is not for the faint of heart. The following day, Monday the 10th, still has a solid 12 ft SSW swell, but the wind is still way up there at 40 km/h. The energy is still huge (3035). It’s not going to be clean, and the score reflects that. This is a period of significant swell but poor quality. For a reef like this, with that kind of wind, it’s going to be a washing machine. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

The rest of that week and into the next is a mess of onshore winds and smaller, choppy swells. The 11th has a 10 ft S swell but it’s cross-onshore and choppy. The 12th has a long-period SSW swell (20 seconds) but the wind is on and cross-onshore, and the energy is still strong (1557). It’s all just blown out. The 13th and 14th bring windswell from the E, but it’s onshore and short-period, so don’t get your hopes up.

Things start to calm down around the 15th, but the swell drops off too. It’s just ordinary.

But hold on. Keep an eye on Monday the 17th. The morning is still nothing, but the afternoon looks like the one bright spot in this whole stretch. A 6 ft SSW swell at 10 seconds rolls in, and the wind goes glassy. The combined energy is a moderate 644. The report says “expect very good surf conditions,” and that’s the best we’ve got. This is a standout. The size is solid, the direction is right for the reef, and with the glassy conditions, it’s going to be clean. It’s still a week and a half out, so treat it as promising but less certain, but this is the one to circle.

Tuesday the 18th has some potential too – a 6 ft E swell with light offshore winds in the afternoon, but the period is short at 7 seconds, which means it’ll be weaker. The 17th is your best bet.

So, the long and short of it: the first week is mostly a bust, with a big, windy, unsurfable swell in the middle. The real opportunity is that glassy afternoon on Monday the 17th. That’s the one.

- Rusty

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