Bud Bud Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for this stretch of coast. We’ve got a run of small, weak, and mostly messy surf ahead. It’s the kind of forecast that makes you want to check the wax collection instead of the tide chart. We do have a few very small windows where it cleans up, but we’re not talking about anything that’ll get the heart rate up. It’s a long haul to anything that resembles a real wave, so patience is the name of the game.

The water at Bud-Bud is sitting at a normal 71°F for this time of year, so that’s not the issue. The problem is the complete lack of energy. For the first week, the combined swell energy is mostly in the double digits – we're talking 49, 44, even dipping down to 13 – which is just flat-out weak. There’s nothing pushing in. The swell direction is consistently from the west, which isn't what this spot wants; it’s looking for that WSW swell to light it up properly.

Saturday morning, August 15th, there’s barely a pulse. A 2ft west swell with an 8-second period, and the wind is a light NNE cross-offshore. It’s clean, but it’s tiny and weak. The energy reading is a lowly 49. You might get a knee-high dribble if you’re desperate, but honestly, it’s more of a paddle and a chat session. That afternoon, forget it – the wind swings around to the WNW and makes a mess of the 2ft of bump.

Sunday the 16th is more of the same – a clean 2ft wave with the morning’s NNE breeze, but it’s still weak and unimpressive. The energy is down at 44. The afternoons continue to be a write-off with that cross-onshore wind.

We then hit a real dead patch. From Monday the 17th through to Thursday the 20th, the swell drops off a cliff. We’re looking at ankle-biters in the 1ft to 1ft range with periods that might as well be non-existent. The energy readings are pathetically low – 13, 14, 17 – the ocean is essentially flat. There’s nothing to even describe as a wave.

Now, there’s a slight flicker on Friday morning, August 21st. The swell bumps up a touch to 2ft, and more importantly, the combined energy jumps to 143 – the first moderate reading we’ve seen. The wind is a light NNE cross-offshore again, leaving it clean. This is the best of a bad bunch for the whole first week, but it’s still only a 1/10 in the grand scheme of things. We’re talking waist-high at the absolute best, and the short 10-second period isn't going to give it much punch. It’s just about surfable, and that’s the high point.

After that little tease, the energy just bleeds away again. The rest of the weekend and into the following week is more of the same – tiny swells, weak energy readings in the teens and twenties, and a lot of cross-onshore chop to deal with. There’s another glassy morning on Tuesday the 25th and Sunday the 23rd with an absolute knee-high 1ft, but there’s just nothing behind it.

Looking further out, there’s a hint of something on Wednesday the 26th. The afternoon sees the energy push back into triple digits at 107, with a 2ft west swell. But the period is still short and the wind will be on it. It’s still not a recommendation.

The second week is a write-off. Promising but less certain is being generous. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak surf with the wind never really letting up. For the beginner surfer, forget it – it’s not even worth getting the board wet. For everyone else, it’s a solid two-week blank period for a proper wave. The whole setup is so poor that you might honestly have more fun on a kiteboard if the wind ever lines up right, especially with that WSW cross-off we keep getting in the mornings.

Bottom line, boys and girls: there’s nothing on the cards that’s worth getting excited about. The first week offers only one marginal, clean but weak morning on the 21st. After that, it’s a flat spell that looks set to run well into the second week. This coast tends not to stay this poor for too long, and forecasts can change, but right now, I’d be finding something else to do.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

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