Bunkers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s call it like it is: this 16-day stretch at Bunkers is looking pretty flat in terms of quality. There’s a long gap with hardly anything worth paddling for, especially in the first week.

Water temp is sitting at 58°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the water’s not too cold.

Starting Wednesday, 29 July, we’ve got a bit of swell around 4 ft to 4 ft from the SSW, but it’s a very long-period groundswell (16 seconds) and the wind is cross-onshore, making it choppy. The combined swell energy is high (1122), but the quality is poor. Not worth it.

Thursday, 30 July, the swell drops to 3 ft, still that long-period SSW energy, but winds stay cross-onshore and choppy. No go.

Friday, 31 July, morning shows 2 ft swell with offshore wind from the NW (clean), but it’s a short-period swell (14 seconds) and small. Afternoon jumps to 4 ft from the NW with a period dropping to 9 seconds, but cross-onshore wind ruins it.

From Saturday, 1 August, right through to Tuesday, 12 August, it’s a mess. Swell builds from 4 ft up to a massive 12 ft from the NNW (combined energy hitting over 2000 on some afternoons), but every session is plagued by cross-onshore winds, making it choppy and ugly. That 12 ft swell on Monday, 3 August afternoon is way too big for beginners and only for experts—but with the wind shredding it, even the experts are gonna struggle.

There’s a couple of mornings—Friday, 7 August; Saturday, 8 August; Sunday, 9 August; and Tuesday, 11 August—where the wind turns offshore from the NW, but the swell is still hefty (8 ft to 10 ft) and the period is short (8 to 10 seconds). For a beach break like Bunkers, that long-period groundswell combined with short-period local windswell just means washing-machine conditions. Not recommended.

By Sunday, 9 August afternoon, the energy drops into the moderate range (979) with 8 ft swell from the NNW, but the cross-onshore wind is back. The last few days, from Tuesday, 12 August onward, the swell fades to 2 ft to 3 ft from the SW, with a long period (16 to 18 seconds), but the wind is still cross-onshore or onshore. Combined energy is moderate (725 to 845), but it’s not clean enough.

Honest truth: there’s no standout session here. The best of the worst is probably Friday, 7 August morning, when you get a 10 ft NNW swell with light offshore wind (NW at 9 mph) and a 10-second period. It’s big and heavy, only for expert surfers, and the period is a bit short for proper shape, but at least it’s not choppy. The combined energy that morning is 1713—strong. But honestly, if you’re an expert, you could give it a crack. For everyone else, this 16-day run is a write-off. The area’s consistent nature means it won’t stay poor forever, but right now, you’re better off waiting for the next front to clean things up.

Rusty.

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