Ersary beach (Barra) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We've got a long, bumpy stretch of wind and lumpy, messy waves ahead. We're not going to see any magic for a while, so let's just get through the forecast.

We start things off on Wednesday morning. Ersary beach (Barra) is seeing a small 4ft of west swell, but it's been chopped up by a cross-onshore breeze. The afternoon doesn't get any better, with the swell dropping slightly to 4ft and the wind shifting to a messy cross-shore. Not worth getting wet for.

The wind is going to be the main story for the next few days. Thursday brings a strong blow with near-gale winds, and the surf drops right off. We're looking at a tiny 0.7ft on Thursday morning, then nothing at all by the afternoon. This is a total blank period.

Friday, we see the swell start to build again, but the wind is still a problem. The morning brings a solid 8ft of west-southwest swell, but a fresh cross-onshore is going to make it lumpy and ugly. The combined swell energy is 2039, which is a lot of juice, but it's all for nothing with the wind. The afternoon has a bit less size at 8ft but the same story - messy. Definitely not a day for the faint of heart, and really, a day for no one.

Saturday is a washout. The swell is still there, around 8ft, but with a strong onshore wind it's just going to be a complete mess, and the energy is very strong at 3477. This is more about surviving the washing machine than getting a clean wave.

Then things go quiet again. Sunday morning is a little tease, with the swell dropping to 5ft and a light offshore wind finally showing up. The report says it could be very clean, and the energy is moderate at 749. This is the first real highlight of the whole window. The swell direction is west-northwest, which is close to the west-northwest optimum for this spot. It's a decent size, but the morning might offer the best chance to get a few clean ones before the breeze swings around.

But that's it for the good stuff for a while. The rest of Sunday, through Monday, and into Tuesday is a write-off. The wind is back up, strong, and the swell is all over the place. It's just a lot of energy and nowhere for it to go but messy.

We get another little pulse of swell on the 15th, but it’s another average, bumpy affair. The onshore wind is back and the waves are lumpy. The next real glimmer is on Sunday, the 20th. This is our second standout. The swell is up to a solid 6ft and, more importantly, we've got a light south-east cross-offshore wind that should keep things clean. The energy is a solid 854, which is moderate. This looks like the better of the two clean windows we get. The west-southwest swell is right on the money for the optimum direction.

The final week really drops off. The wind comes back with a vengeance from the 21st, and the swell gets smaller and smaller until it's just a dribble by the 23rd and 24th, when gale-force winds completely blow things out. There's nothing to get excited about.

So, summing it all up: we have two windows of opportunity. Sunday the 13th looks like a quick, clean morning session. But the best bet is Sunday the 20th morning and afternoon, which looks like the pick of the fortnight with clean conditions and a decent swell. Beyond that, it's a waiting game.

Keep the board in the car for the 20th, and I’ll see you in the water.

Rusty

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