Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's break down what's happening at Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next couple of weeks.

The first few days are a bit of a dud. Saturday the 22nd is a total mess with a fresh cross-onshore wind blowing at 19 mph, making a lumpy 2ft SSW swell a nightmare. The energy is weak, reading only 821, and the water is a bone-chilling 58°, which is 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that's a huge anomaly, so you'll be needing the thickest wetsuit you own. No point paddling out Saturday.

Sunday the 23rd is a slight step up. The swell pushes to 7ft from the SW, with moderate energy (1228). Wind is light cross-onshore, so it's not total chaos, but it's still a marginal, iffy day. The trend continues into Monday and Tuesday morning – surfable, but nothing to get excited about.

Now, Tuesday the 25th afternoon is where things start to get interesting. That's your first real standout. The swell holds at 8ft from the SW, but the period jumps to a very long 15 seconds. The combined energy is a strong 3448, and we get a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the ESE at 9 mph. This is proper groundswell, and with that clean wind, it's going to be excellent for experienced surfers. Just be aware that a long period SW swell like this can sometimes wall up and close out on a beach break, but if it's got a bank, it'll be firing. Crowds are possible here, so get in early.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th see the size drop back a touch, but we get glassy conditions on Thursday morning and afternoon with a 6ft and 5ft SSW swell. The energy is still moderate to strong (2038 and 1446), and with the wind going glassy, those will be clean, fun sessions. Friday the 28th keeps the glassy vibe going in the morning with a 6ft ESE swell, and then a clean cross-offshore in the afternoon. Solid.

We hit a bit of a lull on Saturday the 29th morning with the swell dropping to 3ft, but the afternoon picks back up to 6ft from the SW, albeit with a short, weak period of 8 seconds and moderate energy (985). It's a bit of a weird one. Sunday the 30th sees a big jump to 10ft in the morning – that's too big for this break, so give it a miss. The afternoon glass-off looks good, with 8ft SW swell and glassy conditions, but it's still pushing the limits.

The first week of September starts promising. Tuesday the 1st offers clean, cross-offshore conditions with a solid 8ft SW groundswell (12 sec, energy 1575). Wednesday morning the 2nd is a dream – flat calm, glassy, with a clean 6ft SW swell (1140 energy). That's a magic window. The afternoon gets a bit tricky with a bigger 8ft swell onshore, so stick to the morning.

After that, it gets wild. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are blown out with fresh to moderate onshore winds and a massive, dangerous swell hitting 16ft on Friday afternoon. The energy readings are through the roof (8664). This is strictly for the kamikaze crew, and even then, it's probably not surfable. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are still pumping with 12ft+ swell, but at least there's some glassy or clean windows. The standout in this second week has to be Wednesday morning the 2nd – glassy, clean, 6ft with 12-second period. That's the pick for the more sensible surfer. The really big stuff late in the period is more likely to be a show for the kite surfers than a paddle session.

Remember, this spot is inconsistent, so you've got to pick your windows. When it's on, it's on. When it's not, it's not.

Rusty.

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