Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Rainbow Bay.

You know, the next couple of days aren’t really going to get the heart pumping, to be honest. It’s that kind of start. The water temp’s sitting around 68°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th, the swell’s hanging just under the 6 ft mark from the ESE/SE, but it’s short period stuff – around 7 to 8 seconds – and it’s cross-off breeze with moderate wind. The combined energy's moderate, but you’re looking at around 440 to 545 (units) of it, which sounds bigger than it feels. It’s honestly just ordinary. The call is “marginal,” and I’d agree.

Now, Wednesday the 19th is where we get a real blip of hope. The swell drops a bit to 5-6 ft from the SE, but the period jumps up to 11 seconds on the morning, which is a proper groundswell. The wind is a gentle SSE cross-off, and the wave energy climbs up to 707 (units). The description says “expect good surf conditions,” and that’s the best we’re going to get in this run. It won’t be huge, but it’ll have some push. Keep in mind though, a longer period SE swell at a sheltered point like Rainbow Bay? That should actually set up nicely for the banks here. It’s beginner-friendly at that size, too. Just a heads up – this spot can get crowded, and it says “often,” so you’ll want to be early if you can.

Thursday the 20th still has some clean-ish waves in the morning, 4 ft, but the energy drops to 253 and the period falls off. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. By Friday the 21st, the wind goes onshore from the north, and the whole thing just drops away. From that Friday right through to around Sunday the 30th of August, we’re looking at a long, flat spell where almost every entry is “poor surf conditions” or very small, weak energy (down to 74-94 units). There are a couple of days with offshore wind or clean conditions, but the swell is tiny – under 3 ft – and the period is short, so you’d be scratching for a ride.

Around Wednesday the 26th, there’s a brief moment with offshore wind and a clean 4 ft from the SSE, but the period is only 7 seconds and the energy is 166 – just very ordinary. Not worth getting excited about.

Thursday the 27th to Saturday the 29th is more small, weak surf with occasionally clean conditions, but the wave heights stay under 3 ft and the periods are mixed. There’s a weird little spike on the 28th where a 16-second period from the SE shows up with only 1 ft – that’s all period and no height, so it’ll be tiny and tricky.

The tail end, Sunday the 30th, brings a modest lift: 4 ft from the S with a 9-second period and 275 units of energy. It’s clean, but the call is “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s not a standout, just slightly less flat than the rest.

So, the bottom line: Wednesday the 19th is your best bet by a long shot. Head down early for a clean, fun-sized 5-6 ft SE groundswell with light wind. After that, it’s a long wait until maybe the 30th for anything that even qualifies as a wave. It’s a quiet stretch, mate.

Rusty.

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