Bud Bud Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've got the surf outlook for Bud Bud. Let's be straight with each other here—it's been a tough stretch for waves and it's going to stay that way for a while. We're looking at a long, dry spell of small, messy surf before a tiny window of something half-decent pops up way down the track.

The overall pattern is grim. For the first week, from Sunday the 2nd of August right through to Saturday the 9th, the swell is tiny, coming in at under 3 feet, and it's getting hammered by either onshore or cross-onshore winds. There is no point even looking at it for paddle surfing. You’ll see wave heights of 1.0 to 3 feet with periods often below 8 seconds, meaning weak, sloppy energy. The combined swell energy stays well below 100 (15-61), which is just flat out weak. It's a write-off. On Sunday the 9th morning there's a flicker of life with a score of 1 out of 10 and surfable but very ordinary conditions with a 2 foot swell at 9 seconds from the west, but the NNW cross-off wind will keep it clean for a few hours. That’s the absolute best of a bad lot for that week, but it’s still only 2 feet and barely worth dragging a log out for.

Then we hit a new dead patch. From Monday the 10th of August to Thursday the 13th of August, the swell drops off a cliff. You’re looking at 0.3 feet to 1 feet of wind swell with periods as low as 3 seconds and combined energy reading 4 to 26. It’s essentially flat. For sure, that's a 4-day gap with nothing to recommend.

Now, there is one standout, but it's a long-range promise. On Friday the 14th of August, the morning session shows some proper potential. We get a 2 foot swell from the west with a period of 9 seconds. The wind will be offshore from the NE at 12 mph, giving us clean conditions. The combined energy jumps to 55, which is still weak, but it’s a huge improvement over what we’ve seen. That afternoon the swell lifts to 3 feet with the same westerly direction, but the wind swings to a cross-shore, which won’t be as good.

Bud Bud is an exposed beach break, so it needs the right wind. For beginners, the swell on that Friday morning is fine (under 5 feet), but the 9-second period is a short-period wind swell, so it won't peel well. The crowd factor is “sometimes”, so you might have it to yourself. The optimum swell direction from the guidance is WSW, and the swell is coming from the west, which is close enough to work well.

Honestly, the whole 16-day window is lean. For the second week, from Saturday the 15th onwards, the swell ticks up to 3 feet to 4 feet on the 16th, but the wind is consistently cross-onshore, making it lumpy and choppy. The combined energy on the 16th morning reads a moderate 290, but the wind ruins it. This setup, with its onshore wind and beach break nature, looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Given how often the breaks in this region are inconsistent, a blank run like this is pretty normal. It won't stay poor forever, and forecasts can change, but right now, pack the towel, not the board.

Rusty.

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