The Three Bears Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk the 16-day run at The Three Bears. The first few days are a complete dud—raw, windy, and no fun. Things clean up toward the end of the first week, and the real gold is sitting on the second weekend into Monday. Keep your eyes on that.

Opening Saturday July 25th and Sunday July 26th are straight-up garbage: strong onshore winds with lumpy chop, swell building from 4 ft up to a messy 13 ft, and the combined energy is churning from 639 to a massive 9044. Water temp is 66°, pretty standard for this time of year. Don’t bother paddling out. Monday July 27th edges to a marginal call—8 ft dropping to 7 ft from the WSW (12-second period), with a cross-off breeze keeping it clean, but the scores are still low. Combined energy is still heavy (1810 to 1465). You could sneak in a session if you're keen.

Tuesday July 28th is the first real winner. Morning gives 6 ft of SW groundswell (14 seconds) with an offshore ENE breeze—smooth as glass. Combined energy is 1560. Afternoon is even cleaner: 6 ft with a light air from the NNE and near-calm conditions. This is excellent for experienced surfers. The long period will make these waves punchy, but on a reef setup like this, it’ll handle it fine.

Wednesday July 29th is a mixed bag: morning offers 5 ft with a moderate cross-off—clean but marginal. Afternoon is the pick: 5 ft from the WSW with a 16-second period, light offshore ENE breeze, and excellent conditions. Combined energy at 1184. Thursday July 30th stays clean with similar 5 ft swell and a gentle cross-off breeze in the afternoon—excellent call, with combined energy up to 1659.

Then we hit a rough patch. Friday July 31st sees onshore wind and rain, with swell jumping to 8 ft and a very long 19-second period—combined energy blows up to 4431. That’s a powerful stormy mess. Saturday August 1st is clean but marginal due to a fresh cross-off breeze; 7 ft to 6 ft of WSW swell, scores are low, and combined energy is still high (2257 to 1632). Sunday August 2nd drops right off: 3 ft in the morning with a light cross-off, but the afternoon picks up to a sweet 4 ft from the WSW with a 17-second period, light breeze, and excellent conditions. That tiny groundswell will be clean and fun for experienced surfers—a sneaky gem with combined energy of 1312.

Now the big call: the standout is Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th. This is the absolute highlight. Saturday the 8th has 13 ft of WSW swell (14–15 seconds) with a gentle to light offshore breeze, clean conditions, and combined energy roaring at 6798 to 8514. The afternoon is exceptional for expert surfers—big, powerful, and glassy. Sunday the 9th keeps it pumping: 12 ft of groundswell (16 seconds) with a light offshore from the ENE in the morning, then a moderate cross-shore in the afternoon. Combined energy is still massive at 5686 to 8708. These are the days. The swell is well over 8 ft, so experts only—and with that long period, the reef will turn it into perfect, grinding waves.

Monday August 3rd through Thursday August 6th is a nasty return: strong onshore winds (gusting near gale), heavy rain, and blown-out surf. Swell sits between 8 ft and 15 ft, but it’s all churned. Then Friday August 7th to the 9th is the recovery, with winds going cross-off and light, and the swell staying solid through Sunday.

The opening weekend is a washout. The bright spots are Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th for cleaner, smaller waves, but the true standout is August 8th and 9th—that’s a big, clean, powerful swell with perfect wind. If you can wait, that’s your session. There’s a rough gap from July 31st to August 4th, but the final run is worth it.

Rusty.

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