Bunbury Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s take a look at what Bunbury Bay’s got cookin’ over the next couple of weeks. The water temp is sittin’ at 61° – that’s a solid 4° colder than you’d expect this time of year, so grab a thick wetsuit. This spot is a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent beach break that’s fairly exposed to the swell and likes a SW direction.

The first real window opens Thursday morning, August 13th. It’s glassy – dead calm – with a solid 6-ft groundswell rollin’ in from the WSW at a very long 17 seconds. The combined energy is pumpin’ at 1886 (moderate-strong). This is proper, powerful stuff for a learner, but at 6-ft it’s pushin’ the limit for beginners. That said, it’s clean, lined up, and the offshore ESE wind is perfect. Thursday morning is the standout of the first week – get out before the wind shifts onshore in the arvo.

Friday morning, August 14th, is still decent – 6-ft from the WSW with a 16-second period (1687 energy), and a light NNE cross-off breeze keeps it clean. Not quite as glassy as Thursday, but still very surfable for the experienced crowd. The arvo drops off with more crosswind.

Saturday and Sunday, August 15th and 16th, see the swell ease to around 5-ft to 6-ft, but the wind gets a bit messy with cross-shore breezes. Surfable, but nothin’ special. Energy drops into the 700–1500 range.

Then we hit a rough patch Monday the 17th. A howlin’ NW wind at 25 mph and a building 8-ft to 12-ft W swell (energy blowin’ out to 6563) makes for poor, lumpy conditions. This one’s a write-off for paddle surfing – lookin’ more like a kite session.

Tuesday the 18th is tricky. The swell jumps to 12-ft from the west with a 16-second period (5823 energy), and it’s glassy in the morning. That’s a ton of water – way too big for this break and only for experts if they’re feelin’ brave. The forecast says it’s too big, so sit this one out unless you’re a gun.

Wednesday the 19th through Friday the 21st is a mixed bag of onshore winds and messy cross-chop. Swell sizes bounce between 5-ft and 10-ft, but quality is poor. Friday arvo drops to 4-ft with moderate cross-chop – not worth the paddle.

Now, Saturday August 22nd – this is the second standout. The morning glass off with a 7-ft W swell at 14 seconds (2045 energy) and a light SW breeze will clean it up nicely. It’s strong, moderate energy with clean conditions. Good for experienced surfers – the 7-ft might be too much for beginners here.

Sunday the 23rd gets chopped up again, and Monday the 24th sees another huge pulse – 10-ft to 12-ft W swell with 18-second periods (7040 energy) – again, too big for this spot, glassy or not. Only experts should even look.

From Tuesday the 25th onward, it’s a slow fade. Swell sizes drop from 8-ft down to 2-ft by the 27th. The morning of Wednesday August 26th has a small 4-ft WSW swell with glassy conditions and light ESE offshore winds – a nice clean session for the beginner crew, with low energy (177). Thursday and Friday the 27th and 28th are tiny, clean but weak – just knee high.

So overall, if you’re keen, lock in Thursday morning August 13th and Saturday morning August 22nd as your best bets. The rest is either blown out, too big, or too small. There’s a gap of three rough days from the 17th to the 19th where I’d give it a miss, and another quiet spell from the 25th onward. Stay fluid, check the forecasts, and don’t be afraid to wait for that glassy window.

- Rusty

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