The Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s cookin’ at The Bowl in the coming days. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s break it down.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a window early Friday morning, September 4th, that’s actually looking pretty decent. The Bowl is an advanced reef break, and it’s fairly consistent, but with a light offshore breeze from the south and a moderate 6ft west swell running at a 10-second period, it should offer up some good shape. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year. The combined energy is solid at 718, so there’s some push behind it. This is the pick of the early period.

Don’t get too excited though, because that window slams shut fast. By Friday afternoon, a 37 mph near-gale from the west whips in, and the swell jumps to a messy 13ft. That’s too big for beginners and will be a blown-out, cross-shore mess even for the crew. Saturday and Sunday follow the same story – strong winds and lumpy, big surf. Not worth paddling out. There’s a brief, weak pulse on Sunday morning with a 3ft west swell and light offshore winds, but the energy is a low 208, and it’s pretty gutless. Basically, there’s a gap of poor conditions from Friday afternoon all the way through to Sunday night.

Then things get interesting again. Monday, September 7th, the clean-up begins. Monday afternoon sees a 7ft west swell with a decent 11-second period, with a clean cross-off breeze. It’s still a bit lumpy, but a good surfer could get some fun ones.

The real standout, though, is the pulse arriving on Tuesday morning, September 8th. We’re looking at a 13ft west swell with a long 12-second period and a clean cross-off breeze. The combined energy is monstrous at 9343, and while the wind state is “clean”, that’s a hell of a lot of water moving. This is a proper, heavy groundswell. Keep in mind, at 13ft, this is strictly for experts – the Bowl will be a washing machine. But for the right crew on the right day, this could be the session of the forecast period. It gets blown out by a near-gale in the afternoon.

After that Tuesday peak, it’s a long stretch of messy cross-shore winds and inconsistent, marginal swell, with the odd clean moment but nothing you’d set your alarm for until we get to the second week. From Friday, September 11th, through to Wednesday, September 16th, it’s mostly poor, with strong winds and lumpy conditions. There’s a pulse of 10ft WNW swell on Saturday, September 12th, but with a fresh cross-shore breeze, it’s just messy.

Heads up for Friday and Saturday, September 18th and 19th – we’ve got a new, long-period north swell (12-13 seconds) showing up, with clean cross-off winds from the WSW. It’s around 6ft, and the energy is very high (over 1600). Long-period north swells like this can get a bit weird at exposed reef breaks, but the clean winds mean it’s promising. That’s a long-range standout, so keep an eye on it, but don’t book the time off just yet.

Signing off, Rusty.

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