Bud Bud Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Bud Bud over the next couple of weeks. Normally, I’d kick off with some solid build-up, but the truth is this outlook is a bit of a bummer for paddle surfing. The water’s sitting at about 71°F, which is a touch warmer than the long-term average for this time of year – a small anomaly of around 2°F, so it’s noticeable but not crazy.

The forecast starts off with a real whimper. Saturday the 22nd has ankle-high swell – maybe 2ft from the west – with a combined energy of just 54 (weak). It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about. Sunday the 23rd through most of the following week is even worse: tiny waves, often below 2ft, and cross-onshore winds that just murder any chance of a decent wave. There’s a long gap here with no real recommendations until we hit the 27th.

Thursday the 27th sees a spike in size – 6ft from the west, period 10 seconds, and combined energy jumping to 627 (moderate). Problem is the wind is howling onshore from the west at 19 mph, making it lumpy and messy. Not the best.

Friday the 28th brings the biggest swell of the whole period: 8ft in the morning, building to a solid 12ft in the afternoon from the west-southwest, with a period up to 12 seconds (that’s proper groundswell energy). The combined energy hits a whopping 2799 (strong) by the afternoon. But again, it’s ruined by strong cross-onshore winds at 19-25 mph. For a spot like Bud Bud, which is exposed to swell from the west and is a beginner-friendly break, this kind of size and onshore wind is a recipe for ugly, blown-out surf. It’s really only going to interest experts, and even then, the wind will make it tough. At that size, it’s well over 8ft, so keep the beginners well away.

The rest of the first week of September continues the same story: plenty of swell, often over 5ft, but always with cross-onshore or onshore winds. The combined energy values are frequently in the hundreds (moderate) and on the 3rd of September, we even see 1271 and 2118 (strong to very strong), but the wind is never in our favour – it’s onshore from the southwest or west-southwest, blowing 12-19 mph. A couple of mornings on the 1st and 2nd of September show cleaner conditions with light north-easterly winds and small swell (around 2-3ft), but the scores are still low – just very ordinary conditions.

For a beach break like this, all that cross-onshore wind and messy swell honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There’s no standout session here – the wind never lines up with the size. If you’re desperate, the cleanest windows are Saturday 22nd afternoon when it’s glassy (2ft from the west) or the morning of Tuesday 1st September and Wednesday 2nd September with light offshore breezes, but you’ll be scratching for tiny waves. Overall, a blank run that feels pretty typical for this spot when the wind gods aren’t playing ball.

Stay patient, and don’t hold your breath. Forecasts can change...
Rusty.

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