Clovelly Bombie Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Imperial

Alright, mate. Let’s talk it through in feet and knots.

The water’s sitting about 63°, which is a touch under the seasonal average, but not by much. Keep the wetsuit zipped.

The first bit of action is on Tuesday the 21st. Clovelly Bombie (reef) will see a 4ft swell from the ENE, with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a standard, workable groundswell. The morning is your window – a light NNW breeze at 6 knots keeping it cross-offshore, so the surface is clean. The combined wave energy is moderate at 321. It’s not going to be pumping, but it’s surfable. The afternoon gets wrecked by a NE wind, so don’t bother.

Wednesday the 22nd morning is better. The swell drops a touch to 4ft, but the wind swings to a clean offshore from the WNW at 9 knots. It’s a proper long-period swell, 10 seconds, but it’s a bit smaller. It’ll be clean and lined up, but it’s an inconsistent break, so don’t expect a wave every minute. The energy drops to 210.

Thursday the 23rd morning sees the swell fade to 3ft, period down to 9 seconds. The wind is a solid offshore from the W at 12 knots, so it’ll be clean, but you’re looking at weak, weak energy at 94. You’ll be scratching for scraps.

Then we hit a real dry spell. From Friday the 24th right through to the end of July, the surf is tiny. You’re looking at ankle-snappers and flat spells. The combined energy readings are in the single digits or low teens for days. It’s a big gap – nearly a week and a half of nearly nothing.

Now, hold onto your board, because things change big time on the weekend of August 2nd. Saturday the 1st afternoon sees a pulse of 10ft from the SSE, but it’s got a cross-onshore wind and the period is short at 10 seconds. The energy is massive – 1477 – but it’s messy. Not your best bet.

The standout is Sunday the 2nd morning. You’ve got that same 10ft SSE swell, but the period bumps up to 12 seconds, giving it proper power. The wind is offshore from the W at 12 knots. The energy is a massive 1672. That’s a serious, powerful groundswell heading straight into the reef. The water will be churning. This is strictly for the experts – 10ft at a reef break like Clovelly Bombie is no joke. It’s big, it’s strong, and with 12-second period, it’ll be looking for the deep water. The crowd factor here is “sometimes,” so you might share it, but on a wave this size, that thins out.

The afternoon on the 2nd stays big at 10ft, period still 12 seconds, but the wind cranks up to 18 knots offshore. It’ll be clean but howling. The energy hits 2012. That’s about as powerful as it gets. Still for experts only.

Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th are still solid, with 8ft to 7ft SSE swell, but the wind is a strong cross-offshore, and the conditions are described as marginal. The energy is still very high (over 1000), but the wind is really howling from the SSW. It’s not going to be perfect, but if you’re a strong paddler and you know the reef, there’s power to be had.

After that, it fades again into the 5th. So, there’s your window: a dead patch for a week, then a massive, expert-only groundswell arrives on August 2nd. That Sunday morning is the pick of the entire forecast.

Rusty.

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