Rainbow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Rainbow Bay. Gotta be honest with ya, the next week and a half is a bit of a write-off. We’re looking at a long, slow period of small, weak, and mostly messy conditions before a proper pulse of energy finally arrives late in the second week. The water temp is sitting right around 69°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The first real chance to get wet comes on Thursday afternoon, August 6th. It’s tiny, with a weak 3 ft swell from the east-northeast, and the energy is weak (87). The wind is a light cross-off, so it’s surfable, but it’s a real knee-high dribbler. Not something to get excited about.

Friday morning, August 7th, is glassy and clean, but still only 3 ft from the same direction. The energy is still weak (92). Friday afternoon the wind swings onshore, making it choppy and messy.

Saturday, August 8th, shows a little more life. The swell is 3 ft in the morning, climbing to 4 ft in the afternoon from the east. The energy is picking up into the low 200s (214 by afternoon), and the wind is light and offshore or cross-off. It’s clean, but the report says “very ordinary conditions.” It’s a marginal session, but the best of the first week.

Sunday, August 9th, is a write-off with strong onshore winds. Monday through Wednesday, August 10th to 12th, are all poor. The wind is either cross or onshore, and the swell is small and weak. Wednesday afternoon sees a jump in size to 6 ft, but it’s from the north with a short 6-second period and a messy onshore wind, making it choppy and ugly. The energy is moderate (381), but the quality is terrible.

Thursday and Friday, August 13th and 14th, start to show a shift. Thursday is tiny and clean, but only 2 ft. Then, Friday morning, August 14th, is the first real standout. The wind is glassy, and we’ve got a 4 ft groundswell from the southeast with a very long 15-second period. The energy is pumping (1064). This is a proper long-period swell, which will be clean and lined up at the point, but it can be a bit tricky with the long gaps between sets. The morning session is the one to aim for.

Saturday, August 15th, is another standout. The swell is 7 ft in the morning from the south-southeast, with a 10-second period. The wind is light offshore, and the energy is strong (1116). This is getting solid, but at 7 ft, it’s pushing into the intermediate zone, not for beginners. By the afternoon, the wind picks up to 15 mph cross-off, which is still clean but a bit more challenging.

Sunday, August 16th, is for the experienced crew. The swell holds at 8 ft in the morning from the south-southeast, with a fresh 19 mph offshore wind. The energy is very strong (1314). This is big, powerful, and clean, but it’s only for experts. The afternoon is similar, with a 8 ft swell and the same offshore breeze.

The early part of the third week, from Monday, August 17th, to Wednesday, August 19th, sees the size ease but still offers solid, clean surf. The swell hovers around 5 ft to 8 ft, with offshore winds, but the energy is dropping. The morning of the 19th is a good call, with a 5 ft swell and a moderate offshore, giving good quality waves.

After that, the swell fades out quickly. Thursday, August 20th, and Friday, August 21st, are back to small, weak, and poor conditions, with the energy dropping below 300.

So, your best bet is the morning of Friday, August 14th, for that glassy, long-period SE groundswell. The other standout is the morning of Saturday, August 15th, for a bigger, cleaner swell. Crowds are often at Rainbow Bay, and for those sessions, expect plenty of company. The setup is a sheltered point, so it really handles any swell direction well.

Rusty.

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