Shida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking for Shida over the next few weeks. To be dead honest with you, this is a tough forecast. There are very few windows where everything lines up, and even the best options come with a heavy side of caution.

The first real chance for a surf comes on Sunday the 13th of September. The morning is a write-off with poor conditions, but the afternoon cleans right up. We’ve got a small, clean 2ft swell from the ESE with a solid 13-second period. The light breeze is cross-offshore, making for tidy lines. The combined swell energy is moderate at 248. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s a start. Shida is an inconsistent spot, so any rideable wave here is a bonus. Winds are light and cross-off, so expect clean faces – a good little session for an intermediate.

Monday the 14th offers a similar story. The morning is marginal with a cross-off wind, but the afternoon picks up a clean 3ft SE swell and a nice offshore breeze from the SSW at 16 mph. That offshore wind is a major positive—clean, groomed faces. The energy is moderate at 268. Again, not big, but honest surf.

Now, after Monday afternoon, we hit a real rough patch. Tuesday the 15th through to Saturday the 19th of September sees nothing but poor conditions: cross-onshore wind, lumpy water, and messy waves. Thursday brings a jump in swell height to 5ft to 7ft, but the period drops to a short, weak 6-7 seconds, and the wind is terrible. It’s not worth paddling out.

We then get a massive pulse of energy on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th. Saturday afternoon shows a 11ft swell from the SE with a 13-second period and a massive combined energy of 4495. The wind and tide are favorable, but the report flat out says the swell is too big for this break. Sunday the 20th is the same story: 10ft SE swell, glassy offshore wind, and an energy of 2590. It’s going to be a washing machine. For an intermediate spot, that’s expert territory and frankly dangerous. For kite surfers, that open face and strong wind might be a dream, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a hard pass.

Monday the 22nd of September is a standout day for *size* again, but the same problem. A massive 16ft SSW groundswell with a 12-second period and energy of 9141. The wind is offshore and the conditions would be perfect, but again, it’s too big for this break. Same goes for the afternoon with a 10ft SSW swell and offshore wind.

The rest of the window from Tuesday the 23rd of September through to the end of the 16-day period is a continuous run of poor surf quality. The wind stays cross-onshore or onshore, the water gets lumpy, and the swell is either too small or too short-period to do anything with. A few small pulses of energy around the 26th and 27th are immediately ruined by strong onshore winds.

The Best of the Worst: If you’re determined to get wet, your windows are:
- Sunday afternoon, 13th September: 2ft ESE, clean, light wind.
- Monday afternoon, 14th September: 3ft SE, clean, offshore wind.

Both are small but honest. Everything else is either blown out, too big, or a combination of both. It’s a lean period, but sometimes you just have to take what the ocean gives you.

Stay safe out there.

- Rusty

Read more