Bud Bud Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here, looking over the Bud Bud forecast. Straight up, I gotta be honest – it’s a rough stretch ahead. We’ve got a 16-day window, but for the first week, there’s almost nothing worth paddling out for. The first sign of any surfable, but ordinary, conditions doesn't show up until Thursday the 6th of August, so that’s a solid week-plus of flat or junk.

Overall Pattern & First Recommendations

The whole period is dominated by small, weak, and short-period swell. Most days the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, chopping up what little energy there is. For a break exposed to a WSW optimum, the swell direction is almost never in our favour – it’s mostly coming straight from the west or WNW, which isn't ideal. The combined swell energy is very low, rarely cracking triple digits, usually sitting in the 20s, 30s, or 50s. That’s barely a ripple. Water temp at the start is 69°, which is about average for this time of year with a slight 0.9° anomaly – nothing weird there.

The First Week (July 26th – August 2nd)

From Sunday the 26th right through to Saturday the 2nd of August, it’s a write-off. Swell heights are all under 3 ft, mostly in the 0.7 ft to 3 ft range, with periods under 10 seconds. Winds are almost always onshore or cross-onshore from the west. The morning of Monday the 27th offers a clean look with a light crosswind and a 9-second, 2 ft swell, but it’s still poor conditions. Tuesday the 28th morning has clean conditions (cross-offshore) but the swell is only 2 ft – not worth the drive. There’s a hint of glass on Sunday morning the 2nd of August, with a 0.7 ft swell and no wind. It’s tiny and the energy is just 20 – that’s lake conditions.

The Second Week (August 3rd – August 10th)

Things get a little more interesting, but it’s still not great. On Monday the 3rd of August, we see a bump to 3 ft swell, but the period is a short 4-5 seconds, wind is cross-onshore or onshore, and the energy is still weak (39-57). Tuesday the 4th of August morning has the biggest swell of the whole period: 4 ft from the WNW with a 7-second period and combined energy of 230 (moderate energy). But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy. For surfers, that’s a frustrating combo – some push but blown out. That’s likely too much for a beginner, but not clean enough for an expert.

The only real standout in the whole 16 days is Thursday the 6th of August (morning). That morning, the wave comment finally says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" – which is the best we get. It’s a 2 ft swell from the W with a 7-second period, combined energy of 56. The wind is NNE at 15 km/h (9 mph), which is a light cross-offshore breeze, giving clean surf. This is your best bet. It’s small, but it’s rideable and not blown apart. Crowds at Bud Bud are listed as "sometimes", so you might have the place to yourself.

After that, Monday the 10th of August morning also shows "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" – a 2 ft W swell, 10-second period, with light cross-offshore wind from the ESE. Clean, but tiny. Combined energy is 78.

Standout Pick

If I had to pick one session, it’s Thursday morning, 6th of August. The wind is finally cooperating, giving clean conditions, and there's just enough energy in the water (56) to paddle around. It’s not going to be a classic day, but it’s the cleanest surf we’ve seen in a long time. The swell is small, so it's fine for beginners, and the direction is from the west. This isn’t a day to get excited about, but it’s the least bad option.

For the rest of the period, the swell is too small, the wind is too messy, or both. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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