Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Rainbow Bay over the next couple of weeks.

The overall pattern here is a bit of a slow build. We start with a few days of marginal, ordinary waves, then a real quiet spell hits, before the ocean finally wakes up at the tail end of the month and into the first days of September. The standout windows are clear, but you'll need to be patient.

Right now, for Wednesday the 19th we've got a solid 5ft to 5ft SE swell rolling in with a period around 10 to 11 seconds. That's a nice, long period groundswell, which this point break will handle perfectly. The combined energy is moderate to strong (605 to 667), but the wind is a cross-off from the SSE and SE, keeping things clean. The water temp is 68°, which is about average for this time of year. It's a bit of a mixed bag though, with the forecast calling it marginal, so tide might be a factor. Thursday the 20th sees a drop in period to 8 seconds, with 6ft and 5ft ESE swell. The energy is still moderate (369), and the morning has an offshore wind, but the quality is labelled as very ordinary. Not a standout.

Then we hit a wall. From Friday the 21st right through to Saturday the 29th, the surf is poor to very ordinary. The swell drops way down, mostly under 3ft, and the wind is often onshore or cross-on. There's a gap of over a week where you wouldn't bother. Sunday the 24th and Monday the 25th have some north winds that are just onshore and messy. This stretch is a write-off for paddle surfing.

Now, the good stuff. The first true standout is Sunday morning the 30th of August. We've got a 7ft SSE swell, but it's only a 7-second period, so it's a bit short-period. The combined energy is strong (558). The wind is a clean offshore from the S at 12 mph, which will groom the point beautifully. The forecast says "expect good surf conditions". This is a solid, punchy option for experienced surfers, as that 7ft is pushing into the big range for beginners. The crowd profile at Rainbow Bay is "often" busy, so expect company on the peak.

Close behind that is the Monday the 31st, with a 6ft to 6ft SSE swell, a better 8 to 9-second period, and strong offshore winds again from the S. The energy is moderate to strong (485 to 625). This is consistent, clean, and very surfable.

The final highlight rolls into Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning has 6ft SSE swell with a 9-second period, and the wind is still offshore from the S (12 mph). The combined energy is strong (614). The afternoon holds 6ft with a 10-second period and even stronger energy (892). The forecast again calls it "good surf conditions". This is a long, clean run of surf.

For the best on offer, I'm calling it: Sunday the 30th of August morning for the biggest, punchy waves, and Tuesday the 1st of September morning for the best combination of size, period, and clean offshore wind. The SSE swell direction is right on the money for what Rainbow Bay likes to see. Be ready for a crowd.

Rusty.

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