Zoo (Bull Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, looking at the same outlook for Zoo (Bull Bay) but in feet and miles per hour, so you can feel it.

This whole 16-day window is a bummer, plain and simple. There’s no single day that stands out as a good bet. The main problem is that the wind is almost always coming from the east or southeast, which is a cross-onshore here, and it just ruins everything. The swell size is there, but the surface is a mess.

The water’s around 85°F, which is about average for this time of year, so at least the water’s warm.

Let’s break it down. From August 3rd, Monday afternoon, we have a 6ft swell from the ESE, but with a 12 mph ESE wind, it’s just choppy and poor. The combined swell energy is moderate at 500, but it doesn’t matter with that wind. Tuesday and Wednesday are the same story: cross-onshore winds, lumpy surf. On Wednesday morning, the swell jumps to 7ft and the energy hits 1054, but it’s still a marginal call with light cross-onshore bumps.

This pattern just keeps going. Through the whole first week and into the second, it’s relentless ESE and SE winds, keeping the surface wrecked. The swell size bounces between 5ft and 7ft, with a short period of 8 to 9 seconds, so no real power or shape.

Into the second week, the swell gets bigger but not cleaner. Around August 14th and 15th, we’re looking at 10ft swell, with energy readings over 1300—that’s strong. But with strong, cross-onshore winds, it’s a full-on washing machine. At 10ft, this is only for experts, and even then, it’s going to be a brutal, messy paddle. The few mornings that show a "marginal" rating, like August 17th morning with an 8ft swell and a light ESE breeze, might give you a tiny window, but the wind is still cross-onshore and the period is only 9 seconds.

Honestly, if you’re into kite surfing, those big, windy days might be interesting. But for a paddle surfer, there’s nothing here. The forecast is solid for the first week because it’s consistently bad, and the second week is just more of the same, just bigger and crazier. Sometimes the ocean just goes quiet like this.

Keep your board waxed and wait for the next one.

Rusty.

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