Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cookin’ for Buffalo Bay Wildside. This exposed spot is in for a wild ride over the next couple of weeks, but it ain't gonna be for everyone. The water is sitting at a crazy 56.8°F, which is 6.1°F colder than it should be for this time of year. You're gonna want a thick winter suit and a hood.

The overall vibe is a building swell that keeps getting bigger and bigger, with the real treasure sitting about a week out. But there are some windows of clean, manageable surf before we get to the heavy stuff. The key is picking your moments because this break can get messy, and it doesn't break all that often.

Right off the bat, the forecast starts with a bit of a tease. Sunday the 16th has a messy morning with a cross-on breeze making things choppy. But by the afternoon, it glasses off nicely. The wind drops to almost nothing, and we've got a clean 4ft swell from the southwest with a 12-second period. It's not big, but it's clean and a fun little wave to get your feet wet. It might be a bit inconsistent, but it's a nice warm-up.

Monday the 17th is where things start to get interesting. The morning sees that swell jump to a solid 7ft from the southwest with a 13-second period. And the wind? Dead calm. Glassy conditions, moderate energy (1722). This is a fantastic window for experienced surfers. It's a proper step up in size, but the conditions are prime.

That energy stays with us into Tuesday the 18th. The afternoon is the pick, with a 7ft southwest swell and glassy conditions again (1524 energy). This is similar to the Monday morning window—a quality, clean, mid-sized swell. These are the days to get after it.

Now, the middle of the week gets trickier. Wednesday and Thursday have more size—8ft and climbing—but the winds get messy and unreliable, mostly cross-onshore or straight onshore. Thursday morning is a standout, though. It's glassy and the swell has jumped to 8ft from the southwest, bringing strong energy (2257). But we're in that zone now where it's getting serious.

By Thursday afternoon and into Friday, the swell is pushing 10ft, and the energy is climbing into the strong territory (2748). The wind is light, but the size is becoming a major factor. For most, this is leaving the fun zone and entering expert-only territory. There's a bit of a drop over the weekend, but it’s blown out.

The real story, the main event, is looking like Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th. This is when a big, long-period southwest swell arrives. We're talking 10ft to 12ft, with periods building from 13 seconds up to a very long 16 seconds. The energy readings are off the charts, hitting 6041 and 5822 respectively. This is huge, powerful groundswell. With 16-second periods, it's gonna be lining up perfectly, but it will be way too big for this spot for the average surfer. Strictly big-wave crew, and even then, you'd need to be very careful.

After that pulse, things settle down. The wind turns light offshore and we see cleaner conditions. The swell backs down to a more manageable 6ft through Tuesday the 25th. But the long-period nature of this swell, now from the SSW, might cause it to close out a bit on this beach. However, the clean conditions are a huge plus.

The following week is promising. Wednesday the 26th afternoon is one of the best calls of the period. We have a clean 8ft southwest swell with a very long 16-second period, and it's glassy. Strong energy (3331), and that long-period swell is perfect for this exposed point. This is a standout—a big, clean, powerful day for experts. It's a week out, so it's promising, but not guaranteed.

After that, the energy fades. The waves drop back under 7ft, and the wind patterns get messy with cross-on breezes making things lumpy. Then, right at the end of the period, on Sunday the 30th, we see another monster pulse. The swell balloons to a massive 13ft with a 17-second period and insane energy (8003). But the wind is gonna be howling cross-onshore, making it a complete mess. That's a no-go for paddling. That setup looks like it could be more interesting for the kite surfers.

So, to wrap it up: the short-term has some clean, mid-size windows on Monday and Tuesday. The true, clean, big-wave standout is looking like Wednesday the 26th. The massive pulses on the 23rd and 24th are going to be too much, and the end of the period is too blown out. Keep your eyes on that Wednesday. It's gonna be special.

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