Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve had a good long look at what Rainbow Bay is offering up over the next couple of weeks. Gotta say, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and there’s not a whole lot to really get the blood pumping. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is bang on average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

The outlook starts off pretty average, but there’s a small window of hope. Right from Monday morning, 24 August, we’ve got some surf with a clean 3-foot swell pushing in from the ENE, riding on an 8-second period. The combined energy is moderate (162), and with a light SSE cross-off breeze, it’s surfable. It’s small, but clean. That pattern hangs in there for Monday and into Tuesday morning, but Tuesday afternoon the wind swings onshore and gets stronger, making things messy with a score of zero. Things turn pretty ordinary from Wednesday through to the end of the month – mostly small, onshore winds, or cross-off breezes that just don’t line up. For a point break that’s sheltered and works best on a SE swell, the mix of small ENE swells and poor wind windows means it’s mostly flat or blown out.

Now, Saturday morning, 30 August, we see a jump in size to 6-foot from the SE, but the period drops to a weak 6 seconds – that’s short-period slop. The energy is moderate (309), but it’s just not a good wave. The poor conditions report tells the story. It’s not until Sunday, 31 August that we get a consistent 4-foot morning with a gentle offshore SSE breeze, and that’s a surfable window, but nothing special.

The real standout is Tuesday, 01 September. That morning delivers the best combination of the whole outlook: 6-foot of ENE swell, an 8-second period, and a light SE cross-off breeze. The combined energy jumps to a solid moderate (394), and it’s clean. This is the pick of the bunch – still not a massive groundswell, but the size is there and the wind is good. You could have a decent session. The afternoon sees the wind shift cross-shore and the quality dips, but that morning window is worth a look.

Following that, Wednesday morning, 02 September is another highlight. The swell drops a touch to 5-foot from the ENE, but the wind goes glassy – dead calm. That’s a major positive. For a point break like Rainbow Bay, glassy conditions mean clean, peeling lines. The energy is still strong (368). This is the other true standout window.

From Thursday, 03 September, onwards, it tails off fast. The swell backs down under 4-foot, the wind mostly goes onshore or cross-shore, and the conditions are rated as poor right through to the end of the 16-day window on 08 September. There’s a long gap of about five days with nothing worth paddling out for. The last day, 08 September, has a tiny 1-foot morning with glassy conditions, but it’s barely a ripple.

So, if you’re keen, pencil in the morning of Tuesday, 01 September and Wednesday morning, 02 September. That’s your best chance for clean, chest-to-head-high waves with friendly winds. The rest of the run is for the beach, not the board.

Rusty.

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