Bruces Beauties Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. We’re having a look at the next couple of weeks at Bruces Beauties, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. This is a deep reef break, exposed to the east, and it likes an ESE swell, but we’re going to have to wait for the right windows.

The water is running at 61°F which is a fair bit colder than usual for this time of year – a solid 5°F below normal. You’ll want a good steamer if you’re heading out.

The first week is pretty grim. A lot of small, weak swell and poor surf conditions. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th have tiny waves around 2ft to 3ft, with a short period, and the wind is mostly cross-off or cross-on, not doing us any favours. The combined energy is weak, sitting in the double digits (82 to 46). The whole first week is a write-off for decent surf.

Now, things get interesting but not necessarily good. From Tuesday the 11th of August, we see a massive spike in energy. A SSW swell rolls in at 8ft on Tuesday morning, with a period of 13 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 2468, which is very strong. However, the wind swings east and cross-on, and it’s lumpy. The wave comment reads “poor surf conditions”. A 8ft plus swell at a reef with bad wind is not the recipe for a fun session. Wednesday the 12th has a 7ft east swell, but onshore wind from the ENE at 25 mph. By Wednesday afternoon, the wind is near gale-force from the east at 31 mph, and it’s blown out. Thursday the 13th sees another 8ft east swell, but again, strong cross-onshore winds. This is more like a kite surfing setup than a paddle one.

Friday the 14th of August calms down a bit with a 7ft east swell and a gentle breeze, but it’s still cross-onshore and fairly choppy. The afternoon gets a “marginal” tag.

The best of the lot arrives on Saturday the 15th of August. The morning has some clouds, a nice WSW cross-offshore wind around 19 mph, and the swell drops to a more manageable 5ft from the east. The combined energy is 321, which is moderate. The afternoon is even better: a clean 4ft east swell with a 16 mph offshore wind from the southwest. The conditions are described as “moderate offshore and clean,” and the score is a 2 out of 10. For this outlook, that’s the standout. It’s not a huge day, but it’s the cleanest we’ll see.

Sunday the 16th has some small, clean waves in the morning, 3ft, but the energy is dropping off. The rest of the second week from Monday the 17th onward is mostly small, weak, and onshore or cross-on, with low energy readings (68 to 325). Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st of August have a few windows with offshore and cross-off winds and 3ft to 5ft east swell, but the forecasts are “marginal” or “ordinary”. The pattern is a lot of small, mediocre days.

So, to be straight with you: if you have to pick a session, wait for the afternoon of Saturday the 15th of August. That’s the peak of the whole window. The morning of Saturday the 15th is also a solid option. The bigger swells in the middle of the first week are not worth the hassle with the wind. The rest of the forecast is a waiting game for cleaner conditions.

Rusty.

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