The Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for The Bowl. It’s a reef setup, exposed to the NW, and it’s an advanced wave all the way. The water’s sitting at 57°F, pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first week is a write-off, to be honest. From Tuesday the 18th right through to Sunday the 23rd, it’s a mess. We’ve got a bit of swell bumping around, up to 6ft on the 20th, but the wind’s howling from the north and northwest, mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the whole thing is lumpy and choppy. The energy’s there on paper – a reading of 394 on that Thursday – but the wind’s just killing it. Not worth paddling out. There’s a long stretch of poor conditions there.

Now, things start to turn late on Monday the 24th. The morning’s still ordinary with a 4ft swell, but by the afternoon we get a proper injection. A 7ft WNW groundswell rolls in with a nice 11-second period, and the wind swings light offshore from the SSE. That’s clean, that’s powerful, and the combined energy jumps to 867 – that’s proper strong. The direction is a good match for the optimum NW swell window, so expect some thick, lined-up reef waves. This is the standout of the whole period. It’s a bit meaty at 7ft, so this is one for the experienced crew only. Keep an eye out for the crowds too – it can get busy at The Bowl, and on a Monday afternoon like that, you might have to share.

Tuesday the 25th still has a bit of life, with a clean, glassy afternoon as the wind drops to nothing and the swell hangs around 3ft from the west. Not huge, but tidy. After that, we drop off again. The rest of the week into the start of September is a mix of small, weak swell and strong breezes, mostly cross-offshore, which keeps the surface clean but the waves tiny. There is a spike on Sunday the 30th with a 7ft swell from the west and moderate cross-off wind – that’s 674 in energy – but it’s still tagged as marginal due to tide and conditions. Over 8ft and it’s for experts only, so 7ft is on the edge. If you’re keen and advanced, that Sunday afternoon could be worth a look, but it’s less certain.

For the second week, the pick is definitely that Monday the 24th afternoon. It’s the one that fires. After that, it’s all small and ordinary again. The Bowl can be a moody beast; this run has one clear window of quality, so if you can, make that day count.

Rusty

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