Shida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this sorted. The charts are showing a wild ride for Shida over the next couple of weeks, but it’s going to take a bit of patience. The water’s sitting at 81.3°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but you’ll feel it’s a bit more like a bath than usual.

The first few days are pretty much a write-off. We’ve got a solid 11.5ft swell rolling in on Tuesday the 4th, but it’s coming with a rough 19 mph cross-onshore wind. The energy is strong too, a reading of 6322, but it’s messy and lumpy. That combo, with a period of 16 seconds, is just not going to be any fun. Wednesday is more of the same, still around 11.5ft, cross-on wind, and the energy is still pumping at 5411. It’s a lot of water moving around, but it’s all over the place.

We get a bit of a breather Thursday morning. The swell drops to 8.2ft, and the wind backs off to 9 mph, but it’s still cross-on and the wave energy is down to 2749. It’s still pretty choppy, and the tide is going to be a factor. Thursday afternoon is a little better, with the wind going more cross-shore, but it’s still only a 3 out of 10 situation. The period is 14 seconds, so there’s some push, but it’s not clean.

Now, from Friday the 7th through to Sunday the 9th, we start to see some improvement. The wind swings around to a cross-offshore direction, which is a big plus. The swell is still pushing 5.2ft to 6.9ft, and the period stays solid in the 14-15 second range. The energy is still moderate, around 1492 to 3416. Friday afternoon looks like the pick of this little run, with 5.9ft of south swell and a clean 15-second period. It’s still not perfect, but it’s rideable. The wind is 12 mph cross-off, so there will be some texture, but it’s a far cry from the lumpy mess of earlier in the week. The weekend is a bit of a mixed bag, with a slight cross-shore wind and some showers around, but the surf stays in that 5.2ft to 6.2ft range.

Then Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th take a turn for the worse. The wind swings back to a strong onshore, blowing 19-22 mph. The swell bumps up again, hitting 9.8ft on Tuesday morning, but the period drops to 12 seconds and the energy is all over the place. The wave energy is 4647, but it’s just a big, wind-blown mess. Not worth getting out of bed for.

But hold on. Things start to get interesting from Wednesday the 12th onwards. The wind finally goes offshore, a light 6 mph from the SSW in the morning, and the swell is still a solid 6.6ft. The energy has dropped to 1576, but with that offshore wind and a 12-second period, it’s going to be clean. Wednesday afternoon gets a bit more wind, but it’s still cross-off and the surf is even better, at 7.2ft. This is when it starts to feel like a real surf.

The next few days, the 13th and into the 14th, the surf drops off a little but stays clean with those offshore and cross-off winds. The swell is around 5.2ft to 5.9ft, but the energy is dropping, down to 787-1130. It’s still surfable, but it’s a bit weaker.

Now, for the real standout. The 15th and 16th of August. The wind goes properly offshore on the 16th, a light 6 mph from the south, and the swell is a healthy 8.2ft. The period is 10 seconds, which is a little shorter, but the energy is back up to 2291. This looks like the best window we’ve got. The afternoon gets a bit windier, 12 mph, but it’s still offshore and the surf is 7.5ft, with the energy just above 1193. This is clean, powerful surf.

We carry that offshore flow into the 17th and the 18th. The swell eases slightly, to around 5.6ft to 7.2ft, but it’s still clean and the conditions are good. The 18th afternoon picks up some more wind, 16 mph from the SSW, but it’s offshore, so it’ll be holding the waves up nicely. The energy is moderate, but the quality is there.

The run continues through to the 19th, with clean, offshore conditions and waves holding in the 5.2ft to 6.2ft range.

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