Clovelly Bombie Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s get real about this 16-day stretch. It’s a long, drawn-out battle with small, messy surf, and only a couple of brief clean windows to make it worth your while. A lot of it is flat-out poor.

It starts on Tuesday, August 11th with a tiny, clean wave at Clovelly Bombie. There’s 0.7m of ENE swell with a 10-second period, and a moderate offshore W wind keeps it tidy. The water is 16°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year. Wave energy is weak at 81. It’s surfable but very ordinary, and the spot is inconsistent. The morning is the better call, as the afternoon drops off to 0.6m.

Wednesday is more of the same – small, clean, and weak. Thursday is even smaller, a waste of time. Friday morning stays tiny, but the afternoon throws a 0.2m swell with a 19-second period, which is a tease and nothing more. Energy is a weak 66.

Saturday, August 15th changes the game, but not for the better. The afternoon sees the swell jump to 1.7m from the SSE, but with a short 7-second period and a fresh S cross-shore wind, it’s a total chop-fest. Energy jumps to 320, but it’s all poor quality. This is more of a kite-surfing show than a surfing one.

Sunday is poor again, with 1.5m to 1.7m of onshore slop. Energy is moderate (236-288) but wasted. Monday and Tuesday stay poor with onshore ESE winds and junky, short-period swell.

The first flicker of hope is Wednesday morning, August 19th. The swell drops to 0.8m, but the period stretches to 12 seconds from the ESE. Energy is a solid 316. It’s still inconsistent, and the wave comment is “marginal,” but that longer period at a reef is always a bit more interesting. Not a standout yet.

Thursday morning brings more energy (1.5m at 8 seconds) but the cross-on wind ruins it.

Then we get our first true clean window. Friday morning, August 21st. The wind goes glassy, we have 0.8m of E swell at 8 seconds, and energy is a moderate 111. It’s small, but it’s clean. Surfable, but you’ll be hunting for the bigger sets.

The one to circle on the calendar is Sunday morning, August 23rd. Light offshore NW winds, 0.9m of E swell, and an 8-second period. The energy reading is 120, a moderate value, and it’s the cleanest, most promising setup we get. It’s a reef break that’s inconsistent, but if the swell fills in right, it’ll be worth the paddle. This is over a week away, so it’s promising but not guaranteed.

The final Wednesday morning, August 26th has another glassy window with 1.0m of ENE swell at 8 seconds and energy at 170. It’s clean and surfable, your second-best option, but still not big.

So, in short: a long, flat, and mostly messy period. The only mornings I’d genuinely plan around are the 21st and, especially, the 23rd. Everything else is small, short-period, wind-blown chaos. Stay patient and pick your moments.

Rusty, signing off.

Read more