Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Rainbow Bay.

Alright, mate, it’s a pretty quiet stretch ahead. There’s surf on offer most days, but honestly, there’s no standout session that’ll have you ringing in sick. The pattern is mostly small to moderate swell with onshore or cross-off winds messing with the quality. The water temp sittin’ around 69°, right on the money for this time of year, no surprises there.

Thursday 13th August – Don’t bother. Clean-looking on paper, but the swells are weak and messy. The morning’s got a tiny 2ft easterly windswell (105 combined energy), and it’s just poor. Afternoon gets a bit more size at 3ft from the south, but cross-off winds at 12 mph and it’s still a dud.

Friday 14th August – Best chance for a sneaky session all week. Morning has a 5ft SSE swell (357 combined energy), moderate energy, with a clean 9 mph offshore wind from the south. The period’s 9 seconds, so it’s a short-period windswell, not groundswell, but it’ll be rideable and peeling. It’s only “fairly consistent” and crowds are “often” here, so you might have a few mates out, but for a sheltered point with offshore breeze, it’s the pick of the window. Afternoon turns bad with stronger cross-off winds and poor conditions.

Saturday 15th to Sunday 16th August – Marginally better than flat. Saturday morning’s 4ft from the south with a moderate offshore at 16 mph, but the period drops to 7 seconds – weak, choppy lines. Sunday’s a bit bigger at 6ft (315 combined energy) but same short period and strong offshore winds. Surfable but nothing to write home about.

Monday 17th to Tuesday 18th August – Swell picks up, but the quality tanks. Monday hits 8ft from the SE (682 combined energy) – too big for beginners and cross-off winds at 19 mph make it a messy, blown-out mess. Tuesday’s not much better, 8ft with cross-off winds. The energy is strong, but it’s not a paddle-surfing day. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than a clean wave ride.

Wednesday 19th to Thursday 20th August – A bit of a reprieve. Swell drops back to 4ft to 4ft (277 to 360 combined energy) with gentle offshore or cross-off breezes. Ordinary conditions but at least you can get wet. The swell direction is SSE to SE, not ideal for the optimum SE direction, but you’ll get a workable wave.

Friday 21st to Saturday 22nd August – Small and clean but slow. Saturday morning is actually glassy – 3 mph offshore from the north-northeast – with 3ft of ENE swell (198 combined energy). The period is 9 seconds, so it’s not gonna be punchy, but if you want a longboard cruise with no wind, that’s your window. The afternoon turns onshore and it’s over.

Sunday 23rd to Monday 24th August – More small, average stuff. Sunday has a bit of size at 5ft (373 combined energy) with a 10-second period from the east, but cross-on winds ruin it. Monday morning is back to 4ft with a gentle offshore (S 9 mph) – surfable but nothing special.

Tuesday 25th to Wednesday 26th August – The end of the run is a whimper. Swell fades to 2ft to 4ft (82 to 96 combined energy) with onshore or choppy winds. Don’t rush out.

Thursday 27th to Friday 28th August – Strong offshore winds blow through, but the swell is tiny and inconsistent. Friday morning has a 3ft SSE groundswell with a 10-second period (270 combined energy) and strong 22 mph offshore – clean but hard work to paddle into. The afternoon on Friday 28th August has a 14-second period long-period groundswell from the SE (317 combined energy), but it’s only 2ft. For a point break like Rainbow Bay, that long period will produce some nice lines, but the size is pathetic.

Honestly, if you’re desperate, Friday 14th August morning is the best of a very average lot – 5ft SSE, clean offshore, and the point will offer some shape. After that? It’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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