Bulli Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days at Bulli Beach are a tough watch. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, weak, and messy conditions before we finally see a pulse of energy. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is 0.5° above normal for this time of year – nothing to write home about, just your average spring water.

The first bit of surf that’s even worth paddling for doesn’t show up until Monday the 14th of September. It’s a small, short-period NE swell bumping up to 3ft, but the period is a low 6 seconds, so it’s going to be fat and weak. The combined energy is only 154 (moderate), and while the wind is light and cross-off from the NNW, giving clean conditions, the waves themselves are pretty ordinary. That’s a one-star day at best, and it’s only the morning window.

After that Monday morning, it’s back to tiny, weak dribble for days. The next real chance comes on Tuesday the 22nd of September. Tuesday afternoon sees a NE swell hit 5ft with a period of just 6 seconds – that’s short-period, windswell energy. The combined energy climbs to 141 (moderate), but the wind is cross-onshore from the ESE, keeping it fairly choppy. It’s still rated as poor surf conditions.

The standout for the whole outlook is Wednesday the 23rd of September. The morning delivers a clean 4ft NE swell, with a period of 7 seconds. The wind is light cross-off from the NNE, making for clean, lined-up waves. The combined energy hits 178 (moderate), and it’s rated as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – still a 1 out of 10, but it’s the best on offer. The afternoon sees the swell build to 5ft, but the wind picks up to a moderate 15 mph cross-off from the NE, which will start to chop it up a bit. Energy jumps to 215 (strong), but the quality drops. For a beach and reef setup, that NE direction is okay, but with a short period, it’s not going to hold a good shape.

Then Thursday the 24th of September brings a solid 5ft NE swell in the morning, but the southerly wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore, making it lumpy and ugly. The combined energy is 373 (strong), but it’s a mess. The afternoon drops to 4ft but the wind stays strong and cross-onshore.

The honest truth is, there’s not a single day in this whole 16-day window that I’d call good. The Wednesday morning on the 23rd is the best of a bad bunch, but it’s still a far cry from any kind of standout session. The rest of the time is tiny, weak, or blown out. If you’re a beginner, the 5ft days are right on the edge of being too big, especially with the chop. Over 8ft never happens here, so that’s not a worry. For a beach and reef mix, the long period swells (over 11 seconds) aren’t here, so no caveats there.

There are long gaps of nothing – days on end with zero recommendations. The surf just isn’t on.

If the wind stays strong and the surf is poor, Bulli Beach might look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on the windy, choppy days. But for us surfers, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, so I wouldn’t write it off completely, but right now, there’s nothing to get excited about.

Rusty.

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