E-Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks for E-Bay.

Overall, it’s a frustrating outlook. There’s plenty of swell on the cards, especially in the first week, but the quality looks poor for paddle surfing almost the entire time. We’re looking at a stretch of onshore winds that are going to mess things up, making for choppy, lumpy conditions. The first real window of interest is the middle of next week, but it comes with caveats.

The Build-Up and the Problems:

It kicks off on Tuesday the 18th with some solid groundswell – 5ft of SSW swell with a very long 16-second period, and combined wave energy is strong at 1319. The problem? A moderate onshore SSE breeze at 12 mph. That’s going to put a lot of bump on the surface. The water’s warm, 85°, which is pretty normal for the time of year. The swell builds through Wednesday the 19th, pushing close to 7ft from the S, with energy readings going through the roof (3029 by Wednesday afternoon). But again, we’re stuck with onshore winds, sometimes from the SSE, sometimes S. It’s going to be big and powerful but messy. This swell is very long-period (over 16 seconds), which really needs a point or reef to wrap into shape – and while E-Bay is a reef, the onshore wind is just going to flatten it or make it a wash.

Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st see the swell start to dip a bit, but the onshore wind sticks around. By Friday, we actually get a “cross-on” wind from the SE, which is a slight improvement, but the report says “gentle cross-onshore and fairly choppy,” so it’s not the clean surf we’re after.

The Potential Standout (with a big “if”):

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 27th of August into Thursday the 28th looks like a promising little window. The swell on the 27th afternoon builds back to 3ft from the SSW with a sweet long period of 17 seconds. The wind prediction is light, onshore from the SSE at 9 mph. That’s not perfect, but it’s the cleanest offering in the entire forecast. If that wind lays down or goes lighter, E-Bay’s reef setup could really work with that long-period groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (1070), so there’s some grunt. This is the best bet for a session, but it’s marginal, so keep your expectations in check.

The Long-Range Haze:

The second week slides off into smaller, weaker, and stormier-looking conditions. There’s a tease on the 29th and 30th with little 2ft to 3ft swells, but the wind is often cross-on or straight on. The energy drops way off into the hundreds. Confidence is low for this period.

Bottom Line:

Honestly, for a straight paddle surf, the pickings are slim. The consistent onshore wind is the villain here. If you’re more into kite surfing, those bigger, wind-affected days from the 18th to the 23rd might actually look fun. You’d be flying. For laying on a board and paddling, maybe keep an eye on the 27th, and be ready for a gamble. It’s not a classic run for E-Bay.

Rusty.

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