Bud Bud Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I’ve stared at the charts for our local zone until my eyes went square. Gotta be straight with you: this is a tough stretch. We’ve got a long, dry spell of onshore slop and chopped-out conditions for most of the next 16 days, so you’ll need patience.

Looking at the whole window, the wind is mostly blowing straight on or across, messing up whatever swell is trying to push in. There's a big gap with no real redeeming surf until we get to early September. The only flicker of hope is a brief window around the 5th of September, but it’s a long way off.

Let’s break it down. Right now, from the 28th of August, it’s all onshore winds and poor surf at Bud Bud (beginner-friendly, and fairly consistent). Friday the 28th has WSW swell at 4 to 4ft with 6-7 second period, but a moderate to fresh breeze is ruining it. That combined swell energy is weak at 74 and then moderate at 223, but it doesn’t matter because the wind is just killing it.

Saturday the 29th sees the swell jump to 6ft and then 7ft (moderate energy of 361 and strong energy of 508), but it’s coming with a strong breeze and rain showers. This is messy and not worth a paddle. Sunday the 30th through to the end of August is more of the same: chest-high slop with cross-onshore wind. The water temp is sitting at 70°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

The beginning of September is flat and bleak. We’ve got a few days of tiny, weak swell and rippled surfaces. The only small highlight is the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. The swell is a tiny 2ft from the W, but the wind swings to a light cross-offshore, making it clean. It’s *surfable* but only just. The combined energy is a low 87, so it’s weak.

Then we hit the stand-out. Mark your calendars for the morning of Saturday the 5th of September. This is the best bet on offer. The swell is a modest 3ft from the W, but the period is a nice 12 seconds (groundswell), giving it some shape. The wind is a light N at 3 mph, which is a clean cross-offshore. Combined swell energy is moderate at 227. For this break, the optimum swell direction is WSW, so this W swell isn’t a perfect match, but the clean conditions and that long-period push make it a worthwhile session for a beginner. The long period does mean longer waits between sets, but the clean face makes up for it.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions with onshore winds and small, weak swell for the rest of the second week. There’s nothing else worth chasing, I’m afraid.

So, hold out for that Saturday morning session on the 5th. Everything else is a write-off.

Rusty.

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