Shida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Shida’s got on offer. The sea is running at a warm 81° right now, about bang on normal for this time of year, so the water feels like home.

Right now and for the next few days, it’s pretty grim, to be honest. We’re looking at a real slow start. Through Friday the 11th and into Saturday the 12th, we’ve got tiny, weak 2ft to 2ft easterly slop with onshore or cross-onshore breezes, so it’s messy and basically unsurfable. Sunday the 13th doesn’t improve much, still small.

Monday the 14th is where we finally see a pulse of life. The morning is clean with a light south offshore, but it’s only 2ft and short period at 9 seconds, not much push. The afternoon though, that’s the first proper window. We get a clean 4ft southeasterly swell with a moderate offshore breeze from the SSW. The combined energy is moderate at 312, and it’s surfable. Not a standout, but a solid, clean session for intermediates.

The real standout, the one you circle on the calendar, is Sunday the 20th of September, afternoon session. We’ve got a nice 7ft southeasterly swell, period dropping to a punchy 9 seconds, and the wind is light and cross-offshore from the SSE, leaving the surface clean. The combined energy is still strong (1296). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – that’s your best bet in the whole run. Shida can get crowded often, so expect company, but it’ll be worth it.

Monday the 21st sees a drop in size again, and the wind gets iffy. Through the middle of the week, we get some size but the wind is all over the place. Friday the 25th morning brings a big, long-period (16 seconds) 8ft swell from the SSE, clean with a cross-offshore breeze, and a massive energy reading (2789). This is expert-level territory – over 8ft, so only for the skilled.

Then Friday afternoon and Saturday the 26th, the swell just keeps pumping up to a very substantial 10ft to 12ft from the SE, with a very long period of 15-16 seconds. The energy readings are huge (4619, 5271). The problem is the wind is onshore or cross-shore, plus with that long period, this spot might get big and unruly. The data says it might actually be too big for this break. The afternoon of the 25th and all day the 26th are for experts only who know Shida very well, but honestly, the onshore wind is going to make it a battle.

Before that, Thursday the 24th is a write-off. Small, with a brutal 25 mph offshore wind that will be hard to paddle into.

So, to wrap it up: your absolute best window is Sunday the 20th afternoon – that's the clean, punchy, fun session. The big stuff later is for the brave and the very good, but the wind won't do it any favours. The start is a write-off. Get out there on the 20th.

Rusty.

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