Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This one’s a bit of a slow burn, so don’t jump in too early.

Right now, the water temp here at Rainbow Bay is sitting at 70° – bang on average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Friday morning, we’ve got a 7ft swell rolling in from the SSE with a 9-second period. It’s blowing straight offshore from the south at 12 mph, keeping things clean. The combined swell energy is sitting at a solid 753 (moderate), and the comments are calling for good surf. This is your pick of the early window – nothing else comes close for a few days. Keep in mind that 7ft is getting up there for beginners; it’s not massive, but you’ll want some experience under your belt.

After Friday morning, it goes quiet. From Friday afternoon all the way through to Tuesday the 16th, it’s a wasteland – small, weak, and messy with onshore or cross-off winds. There’s a big gap of several days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Then, things flip. Wednesday afternoon the 16th and Thursday the 17th see a big jump: 12ft SSE swells hitting with 9-10 second periods. The energy numbers spike hard – 2068 and 2235 (strong to very strong energy). The wind is howling offshore from the south at 18-25 mph, which will make the surface look perfect, but paddling into that size with that much wind will be a battle. This is expert-only territory. The swell direction (SSE) is not the optimum SE for Rainbow Bay, so it may wrap in a bit less organized. The quality is described as marginal – likely due to the combo of size and strong wind making it hard to get into. Still, for the experienced crew, Thursday morning looks like the best of that pulse.

Friday the 18th settles a bit: 10ft from the SSE, offshore wind easing to 15 mph, and the energy is still strong at 1337. The call is “expect very good surf conditions.” This is likely your standout period – still big but more manageable, and clean.

After that, it drops back down through the weekend and into the following week. Saturday the 19th has 6ft from the SE with light cross-off winds, but it’s nothing special. From Sunday the 20th onward, it’s all onshore winds (N/NE) and tiny surf – mostly under 3ft and weak energy (below 250). Another long gap sets in. There’s a weird spike on Wednesday the 23rd afternoon with a 10ft S swell, but it’s blowing onshore at 15 mph from the north, so the quality is garbage – steer clear.

The best bet: Friday morning the 11th for a clean, moderate-size session, and then keep an eye on Friday the 18th for a bigger, cleaner, more powerful day. Thursday the 17th is for the hardcore only.

Rusty

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