Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag for Rainbow Bay. There’s a window of decent, punchy swell coming through, but you’ve gotta pick your moments. The water is sitting at 70°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothin’ weird there.

We start off with a bit of a slow burner. Wednesday morning, the 9th of September, has some waves but they’re ordinary. We’re looking at 5ft from the SSE with a period of 9 seconds, and a light south-easterly breeze. The combined swell energy is only 352, so it’s weak. The conditions are clean, but it’s cross-offshore and the quality is just not there. It’s surfable but not worth getting excited about. Wednesday afternoon gets worse with a cross-on wind.

Now, Thursday the 10th is where it gets interesting. The swell jumps up to 10ft from the SSE, and the period is 8 seconds, so it’s short-period. But the wind is offshore from the S at 30 km/h, and that makes it clean. The combined energy hits 996 (moderate) in the morning, and then 1377 (strong) in the afternoon. This is big, solid, and powerful. It’s a point break, so it’ll handle the size, but with the period that short, it’ll be a bit of a wall. For the experienced crew, this is the standout. Beginners beware – 10ft is too big for you. The offshore wind is a major positive, keeping the faces clean.

Friday the 11th is still good. The swell drops to 8ft in the morning from the SE with a 8-second period, and the wind is offshore from the SSE at 20 km/h. The combined energy is 707 (moderate). The forecast says “expect good surf conditions,” and I’d agree. It’s a step down from Thursday but still a solid day. The afternoon gets a bit messy with rain and cross-offshore wind, so get out early.

After that, it drops off. From Saturday the 12th through to the end of the second week, it’s mostly small, weak, and poor. Most days are under 3ft with combined energy values under 300, and the wind is often cross-off or onshore. There’s a brief spike on Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th with waves around 4ft-4ft from the ENE, but the energy is still low (212-327), and the conditions are just “surfable.” Nothing to write home about.

So, the two standouts are Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th. Thursday is the biggest, but it’s raw and powerful. Friday is more manageable. Both have offshore winds and clean conditions. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off, with a big gap of no real recommendations from the 12th all the way through to the 22nd. That’s nearly two weeks of flat or poor surf. It happens.

Signing off, Rusty.

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