Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking straight at what we’ve got on the cards for Buffalo Bay Wildside.

Right off the bat, the first few days are a bit of a tease. There’s a huge pulse of swell rolling in, but it’s way too much for this spot. Friday the 24th has a solid 13ft SSW swell with a very long 16-second period, and the combined energy is absolutely pumping (7073). That is a *monster*, but it’s just too big for this break. The wind is glassy in the morning, but unless you’re an absolute charger on a big-wave gun, you’re better off waiting.

Saturday the 25th is where it starts to get interesting for experienced surfers. The swell drops to a more manageable 8ft from the SW, with a 13-second period. The combined energy is still strong (2045). The morning is glassy with a light NNE breeze, and the afternoon is clean with a cross-off ESE wind. This is a solid window for the crew who know what they’re doing. Sunday the 26th follows a similar pattern—7ft SW swell in the morning with clean offshore winds, dropping to 6ft in the afternoon with glassy conditions. The energy is still pumping (1501 and 1199). This is a really good run.

Monday the 27th takes a turn for the worse. The wind swings onshore and brings light rain, and the quality drops hard. The swell is still there, but it’s messy and choppy. Not worth paddling out.

The middle of the week, the 28th, sees another big spike in swell, hitting 12ft from the SSW on Tuesday. Again, too big for this break, even with clean wind. The combined energy (4845 and 4565) tells you it’s a powerful ocean. That’s a skip unless you’re looking for a washing machine session.

Things start to look better for the more experienced surfer again on Thursday the 30th. The swell shifts to a 7ft ESE short-period swell (9 seconds), but the wind is offshore from the NE in the morning. The energy is moderate (1150), but that clean offshore wind makes it surfable. The afternoon gets a bit windier, so the morning is the call.

Friday the 31st is a nice change of pace. The swell backs off to 4ft from the SW, with a long 13-second period. The combined energy is moderate (1139). The morning has light offshore winds, making for clean, fun waves. A good day for a wider range of surfers.

Looking into the first week of August, Saturday the 1st has a 5ft E swell in the morning with glassy offshore winds. The energy is decent (1644). That’s a clean, fun morning. Sunday the 2nd is smaller, with 4ft SW swell, but the wind is cross-off in the morning, so it’s still clean. The energy drops off (985), so it’s a bit weaker.

The beginning of the following week, the 3rd and 4th, is a bit of a write-off. Onshore winds and rain, with poor conditions. Not worth it.

But then we get a real standout. Wednesday the 5th of August. We have a 8ft SW swell with a 13-second period, and the combined energy is strong (2150). The wind is completely calm in the morning—dead glassy. The afternoon is clean with a light cross-off breeze. This is the best window of the whole outlook for experienced surfers. The size is still solid, so it’s not for the groms, but the conditions are going to be perfect.

The rest of the first week of August sees the swell easing off, but it stays clean with cross-off winds. There’s a bit of a bump in the wind on Friday the 7th, with a strong 22 mph cross-off breeze, which will keep it clean but a bit blown out. The swell is around 6ft, so it’s still there.

Overall, the standout is clearly the 5th of August. That combination of a solid 8ft SW groundswell, excellent energy, and dead calm morning conditions is as good as it gets for this spot. The weekend of the 26th/27th July is also a very strong runner-up for the experienced crew.

This is a spot that’s inconsistent, so you have to pick your windows. But when it lines up, it’s magic. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild to report.

Remember, this is Buffalo Bay Wildside, so the longer-period SW swells are going to wrap in nicely. Just keep an eye on the size—anything over 8ft here is for the experts only.

Rusty, signing off.

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