Bulli Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I've gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Bulli Beach over the next 16 days is a tough one to write. We're looking at a long, quiet stretch with very little to get excited about. The water temperature is sitting at 64°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The forecast starts with a real dud. From Saturday the 29th of August right through to the afternoon of the 5th of September, we've got a string of days with tiny, weak swell and poor surf conditions. The wave energy is minimal, with readings barely cracking 72 (that's a combined energy of 72) on the Sunday morning, and most days sitting below 50. The swell is a mix of short-period ENE and SE slop, mostly around 1 ft to 2 ft, with periods under 9 seconds – just not enough grunt to push anything decent. There's a brief moment on Sunday morning the 30th with glassy conditions and a tiny 2 ft SE swell, but it's still rated as poor. The spot is fairly consistent, but when the swell is this small, even consistency doesn't help.

We finally get a bit of a pulse on the afternoon of Saturday the 5th of September. The swell bumps up to 3 ft from the NE with a short period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of 84. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 19 mph, which will keep the surface clean. But this is a beach-and-reef setup, and with that short period, it's likely to be a bit lumpy and weak. The next day, Sunday the 6th, has a similar 3 ft NE swell but with an onshore breeze, so it's a no-go.

Things get a bit more interesting on the 7th of September – Monday morning sees a 1 ft swell from the NE with an 8-second period, but the real story is the wind. It's blowing offshore from the WNW at 16 mph, and by the afternoon it cranks up to 22 mph from the NW. That's a fresh offshore breeze, which will groom the surface nicely. The wave energy is still low though, at 28 and 18 respectively, so it's more about clean conditions than size. Tuesday the 8th has a tiny 0.3 ft swell, and then from Wednesday the 9th through to the 13th of September, it's a flat spell with zero wave energy and nothing to ride.

The best option in this whole 16-day window is probably the afternoon of the 5th of September. The 3 ft NE swell with strong offshore winds will be the most rideable we get. But honestly, this is a period where the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the bigger winds and small, weak swell. It's a tough stretch for beginners, and even for advanced surfers, there's nothing worth chasing.

Keep an eye on the forecasts though – it tends not to stay poor for long around here, and a change could come.

Rusty.

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