The Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m looking at the 16-day window, and I gotta be straight with you: it’s been a real tough stretch of surf for The Bowl. We’re talking days of small, weak, messy junk with onshore or cross-shore winds messing up the lines. The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until the start of September, and even then it’s marginal.

Right now, through the end of August, it’s a write-off. Swell is tiny, periods are short, and the combined energy is barely registering – we’re talking numbers like 19 and 20, which is whisper quiet. The wind is mostly cross-off or cross, but the surf just isn't there. On the 29th and 30th, we get a little bump but with a period of just 4 seconds, that’s wind swell junk, not worth paddling out for. There’s a solid gap of very poor conditions for over a week.

Things start to look a bit more interesting around the first of September. On Tuesday the 1st, a new north swell shows up, 5 ft in the morning with a 9-second period. The combined energy jumps to (400), which is moderate, and winds are clean cross-off from the SE. The Bowl is a reef break that likes NW swell, so this north direction is a bit off its best, but it’s the best we’ve seen. Definitely a look for the advanced crew, but not a standout.

Then we get a pulse of bigger stuff. On the morning of Wednesday the 2nd, it’s 7 ft with 8 seconds from the north – that’s getting into expert territory, but the energy reads (496) and the wind is cross-shore, making it a choppy mess. Not clean.

The real standout, and I mean the only true highlight in this whole window, arrives on Sunday the 6th of September. The Bowl gets a solid 7 ft north-northwest swell with a period of 11 seconds – that’s a groundswell with some real push. The combined energy is screaming (1167). The wind is a light, clean cross-off from the SSW, which is almost glassy. This is proper. The direction is NNW, which is pretty close to its preferred NW. The only thing is, at that size with a long period, the sets will be powerful and maybe a bit close together. This is strictly for the advanced guys. It’s a Sunday, so you might have to share the water, but for that quality, it could be worth it. This is the one to circle.

After that, the week of the 8th and 9th looks messy again with strong onshore winds and lumpy conditions, as the swell gets chopped up.

So, to sum it up: The Bowl has been flat and weak, but hang in there. The morning of Tuesday, September 1st is a maybe, but set your alarm for Sunday, September 6th. That’s the one that’s got some real grunt and clean conditions. Don’t hold your breath for much else.

Rusty.

Read more