Shida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Shida over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a slow start. The first few days from Saturday the 29th to Monday the 31st are pretty flat and weak. The swell is tiny, only around 1ft to 2ft, and the winds are mostly cross or cross-on, so the surf is poor or just ordinary. The combined energy is low, mostly in the 98 to 175 range, which tells you there’s hardly any push. Not worth paddling out for.

There’s a bit of a lift on Tuesday the 1st of September, with a 3ft swell from the ESE, but the wind is onshore or cross, and the conditions are still marginal. The surf is there but it’s messy. Wednesday the 2nd starts to look better – the swell stays around 3ft to 4ft, and the wind goes offshore or cross-off. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 82°F, which is nice. Wednesday afternoon is the first real standout: 4ft from the ESE, period short at 7 seconds, but the wind is offshore from the S at 9 mph, so it’ll be clean. Energy is moderate at 230.

Thursday the 3rd has a tricky morning with a risk of storms and stronger cross-off wind, but the afternoon is a gem. The swell drops to 4ft from the SSE, period still short at 7 seconds, but the wind cranks offshore from the SSW at 16 mph. That’s clean, solid, and the energy jumps to 345. This is a good window for the intermediate surfer.

Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th are a write-off. The swell jumps up to 6ft to 7ft, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, and the energy is high but the quality is poor. The beach setup with that much wind and size will be a choppy mess – more for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

Sunday the 6th sees the swell pumping up to 8ft to 8ft from the ENE, with a period of 10 seconds. The energy is strong (1067 to 1159), but the wind is cross or cross-on, so it’s marginal. The size is getting into the territory where only experienced surfers should be out.

Now, here’s the real highlight. Monday the 7th of September. The morning is glassy – wind from the SW at 3 mph – with a 8ft swell from the E at 9 seconds. The energy is very strong at 1586. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The afternoon is just as good, with 6ft from the S, a longer 12-second period, and offshore wind from the SSW. That’s a long period groundswell, so it’ll have good shape and power, but it might be a bit too straight for a beach break. The water is still warm.

Tuesday the 8th is the big one, but it’s too big. The swell hits 13ft from the SSE with a 12-second period, and the energy is massive at 4914. The wind is offshore, so it’s clean, but this is a beast for experts only. The same goes for Wednesday the 9th, with 10ft to 12ft from the S, but the wind goes cross-on, so it’s a mess.

The following week tails off. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th drop back to 4ft to 5ft from the ESE and S, with improving winds. The best of the second week looks like Saturday the 12th of September: 5ft to 5ft from the ESE, with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind is offshore from the S at 16 to 19 mph. Energy is moderate (393 to 442). It’s a clean, solid option for the keen surfer.

Sunday the 13th is another giant swell, 12ft to 13ft from the SSE with a very long 13 to 14-second period, and offshore wind. The energy is enormous (4261 to 5453), but it’s only for the brave and experienced. The long period means it will be holding up a lot of water, so it’s best for a point or reef, but the size is the main story here.

Overall, the standout is Monday the 7th of September – glassy, solid swell, and clean. The second best is the afternoon of Thursday the 3rd with that clean offshore wind. The rest of the time is either too small, too windy, or too big.

Rusty.

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