Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, crew, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for Rainbow Bay. It’s a bit of a slow burner, so don’t go cancelling your plans just yet, but there’s some life in the long-range forecast. We’re in for a lot of small, messy days to start, so patience is the name of the game.

The first week is looking pretty lackluster, to be honest. We kick off Friday morning with next to nothing—just a weak 2ft of short-period ENE swell and hardly any energy behind it (87). It’s glassy, which is nice, but there’s just no power. That trend continues through the weekend and into the first part of next week. We see a slight bump on Saturday afternoon to 4ft, but the period is still short, and the wind swings around and messes it up. Mostly onshore or cross-shore junk, so expect chopped-up, uninviting conditions. There’s a brief window early Tuesday morning with glassy conditions, but the swell has already dropped back down to a weak 2ft. It’s pretty frustrating stuff—lots of waiting, not much riding.

The dry spell runs right through until next Friday. We’ll see a solid jump in the swell energy that morning, with the combined energy hitting 686, and the swell coming up to 5ft from the south. That’s a real signal. The morning looks fantastic with a light offshore wind and clean conditions. The period is 9 seconds, so it’s got a bit more push to it. This is the first real standout of the window. If you can only get out once in the first week and a half, make it Friday morning, the 14th. The afternoon stays clean but the wind freshens from the SSE, making it a bit bumpier and less appealing.

Saturday the 15th is still good, with another 5ft of SSE swell and moderate offshore winds keeping the face clean. The energy is still pumping at 416. It’ll be a bit more on the lower end of good, but it’s still a solid option. The drop-off begins on Sunday the 16th. The swell drops slightly to 4-4ft, still clean in the morning, but the rain moves in and the wind gets fresh. It’s starting to lose its magic.

After that, it goes a bit flat again for a couple of days, with small, weak surf and onshore winds. The energy just fades out. But then we’ve got the real headline act: Tuesday the 18th. We are looking at a jump to 7ft, with the energy ramping back up to 508-533. The wind is offshore and it’s clean. The period, however, is only 7-8 seconds. This is a short-period wind swell, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy and disorganized, but the size is there. This is one for the more experienced crew. It’s pushing the limits for beginners—anything over 5ft is getting serious, and 7ft is real deal. For experts, this is where the fun is.

Wednesday the 19th remains a good option, with 6-6ft of easterly swell and gentle to moderate offshore winds. The energy stays strong, around 516-605. There’s a risk of a thunderstorm in the afternoon, but the morning looks clean and powerful. This is another standout, slightly smaller than the day before but maybe with a better shape as the period stretches to 9 seconds.

After that, the swell eases back down into the 4-5ft range, but the wind goes onshore and it gets messy. That’s your lot for the 16-day window. Two clear standouts: Friday the 14th for a clean, solid, fun-size day, and Tuesday the 18th for the bigger, more powerful stuff for the experts. Keep an eye on that long-range call, though—it’s promising but not set in stone yet.

Alright, stay stoked.

Rusty.

Read more