Thompsons Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew through what's coming up over the next couple weeks at Thompsons Bay.

Honestly, this is about as bleak as it gets for a solid stretch. The easterly wind just won't quit, and for a sheltered spot like this, that means a whole lot of blown-out, unsurfable junk. You're looking at nearly a full week of nothing worth paddling out for before the first real window shows up on Tuesday, September 15.

From Tuesday, September 8 all the way through Monday, September 14, it's just a mess. The swell is short-period ENE slop (6 to 7 seconds) with winds howling cross-shore at 25 to 40 mph, even touching near gale force by Monday afternoon. The energy is there—it ramps from 660 up to over 1632 (that's serious power)—but with those conditions, it's just a washing machine. Water temp is around 69°F, which is just about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The one day that has a pulse is Tuesday, September 15. Morning comes with some clouds, the wind shifts to a cross-off from the north-northeast at 15 mph, and the surface cleans right up. You've got a 6 ft east swell with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy sits at 409 (moderate). The conditions are described as clean. This is the one highlight—it's not epic, but it's surfable and that offshore angle will make a difference. The break is fairly consistent, but be ready for a few others in the water—crowds are sometimes an issue here.

After that, it's back to the grind. Later in the week, bigger swell rolls in with 10 ft waves from the SSW on Thursday the 17th and energy hitting 1749, but again the wind is cross-shore and messy, so it's lumpy and ugly. Even when the swell turns long-period—16 to 20 seconds around September 13 and 21—the wind just doesn't cooperate for this bay. Those long groundswells would be much happier wrapping into a point or reef, not getting torn up by a cross-breeze here.

For the whole 16 days, there's no other standout. If you're into kite surfing, the wind setup is actually interesting for a lot of this period. But for a surfer after quality waves? This is a tough run. The quiet spell at the start lasts almost a week, and the only flicker of hope is that Tuesday morning. Don't plan your trip around it.

Later, Rusty.

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