Cow Bombie Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into what’s in store for this classic spot.

We’ve got one break on the radar for the next 16 days: Cow Bombie (reef). It’s an exposed, advanced-only wave that doesn’t break often, but when it does, it’s a proper beast. This is a place for the experienced crew only.

The forecast kicks off with a serious pulse of south-west swell. The water is sitting at 66.6°F which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice bonus.

Tuesday, 18 August is a right-off for us. The morning is cloudy with a moderate breeze from the WNW at 12 mph and the swell is a solid 14.8 ft from the WSW with a very long period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is massive (10173), but the wind is onshore and the surf is described as marginal. The afternoon gets worse with a fresh breeze and cross-on conditions at 19 mph. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday, 19 August is a write-off too. The morning is clear, but we have a cross-on wind from the SW at 12 mph. The swell hangs around 14.8 ft, WSW, with a long period. The energy is still huge (8250). The afternoon is a bit lighter with a gentle breeze, but still cross-on. It’s choppy and messy.

Thursday, 20 August stays poor. Morning and afternoon both have cross-on winds, with the swell dropping to 13.1 ft and then 11.5 ft. Combined energy is still moderate-to-strong (6829, then 6389). The wind is light, but the onshore direction ruins it.

Friday, 21 August – morning is the first real standout. The wind drops to dead calm, glassy conditions. The swell is 11.5 ft from the SW with a period of 14 seconds – that’s a long period groundswell. The energy is strong (4807). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The caveat: at a beach break, a long period swell like this can break a bit straight, but on a reef, this is properly solid and clean. The afternoon gets a gentle cross-on breeze, so the morning is the window.

Saturday, 22 August – morning is another standout. Glassy calm again, with a 9.8 ft SW swell at 16 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell with a lot of energy (4128). The reef should handle this beautifully. The afternoon turns cross-shore with a light breeze, so the morning is the session.

Sunday, 23 August is a washout. Moderate cross-on winds at 16 mph, 7.9 ft swell, energy dropping to 2614. Poor conditions all day.

Monday, 24 August is poor. Cross-on winds, 9.8 ft in the morning dropping to 8.2 ft in the afternoon. Energy is moderate. Choppy and lumpy. Kite surfers might be interested, but for paddle surfing, it’s a no.

Tuesday, 25 August is a write-off. The morning has rain showers, a fresh breeze from the SW at 22 mph, and a messy 11.5 ft short-period swell (9 seconds). The afternoon sees the swell jump to 16.4 ft with a moderate breeze, but it’s cross-on and lumpy. Not surfable.

Wednesday, 26 August is marginal. Gentle cross-on breeze, 11.5 ft swell from the SW with a period of 13-14 seconds. Energy is still strong (5416). Choppy, but if you’re desperate, you could find a wave.

Thursday, 27 August is small. The swell drops to 7.2 ft in the morning and 6.2 ft in the afternoon. Light onshore and cross-shore winds. Energy is weak (1783, 1494). Not much to get excited about.

Friday, 28 August – morning is a highlight. Light offshore wind from the ENE at 6 mph, a 6.2 ft swell from the WSW with a very long period of 19 seconds. That’s a massive, long period groundswell. The energy is strong (3243). The conditions are clean. This is a proper session for the experts. The afternoon has a light cross-shore breeze, so the morning is the call.

Saturday, 29 August – afternoon

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