Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what Rainbow Bay’s got cooking over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but there’s some serious quality shaping up if you’ve got patience.

Right now, and for the next few days, it’s pretty grim – honestly, not worth paddling out. The swell is tiny, around 2 feet from the east, and the wave energy is weak (88 to 161). The wind’s all over the place, mostly cross or cross-on, and the conditions are just poor. You’d be better off waiting.

It’s not until Thursday the 13th of August that things start to show a pulse. Thursday morning brings a clean 2-foot east swell with light offshore wind. It’s small, but the water temp is about average for the time of year, and it’s a start. Thursday arvo picks up a bit to 3 feet from the SSE, but it’s a short-period 8 seconds wave, so nothing to get too excited about.

Friday the 14th is where it starts getting interesting. Morning sees a clean 5-foot S swell with a solid 12 mph offshore wind – that’s going to be tidy, but the energy is still moderate (339). The afternoon jumps to 5 feet SSE, but it’s not scoring well on quality.

The real standout is going to be Thursday the 20th of August. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast: a clean 7-foot ESE swell with a strong 12 mph offshore wind, and the wave energy is pumping at 1328. That’s proper, solid surf – good for experienced surfers, as it’s over 5 feet. It’s a moderate offshore breeze, so it’ll be clean and lined up. The crowd situation at Rainbow Bay is *often* busy, so expect company, but with that quality, it’s worth it. The swell direction is a clean ESE, which suits the break’s optimum SE direction nicely.

Before that, Wednesday the 19th of August is also good – 8 feet ESE in the morning with offshore wind, though the energy is a step down at 758. Still a solid session.

After the 20th, things fade a bit. Friday the 21st holds at 6 feet E with offshore wind, but the energy drops to 636. The tail end of the forecast from the 23rd onwards gets smaller and more mixed, with some cross-off winds and light rain. The 25th and 26th show tiny 3 to 3-foot swells with glassy conditions, but it’s just ordinary.

Overall, the best call is Thursday morning the 20th of August at Rainbow Bay – that’s your standout. A close second is Wednesday the 19th for the size, but the 20th has more grunt. The rest is either too small or messy. Get out there for that Thursday session.

Rusty.

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