Nanwan Beach (South Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, giving you the straight-up surf outlook for Nanwan Beach (South Bay). Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it – this stretch of the next 16 days is looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. The wind is just not playing ball, and we've got a lot of chop and mess to deal with.

We kick off on Sunday, July 26th, but honestly, you wouldn't want to be out there. The swell is hitting 5 ft from the WSW, but with a cross-shore ENE breeze at 12 mph, it's just poor surf conditions. The combined wave energy is moderate (500), but that's all for nothing with the wind as it is. It stays this way right through the week and into the end of the month. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing weird there.

Finally, on Friday, July 31st, we get a little window. The morning brings a glassy moment from the SSE with a slight air, and the swell drops to 3 ft from the SW. The energy is weak (131), but at least it's clean. The afternoon gets even better with a light offshore breeze from the NNW, giving us clean 3 ft waves. Best bet for a surf? That Friday afternoon. It's small, but it'll be the cleanest you'll see. Saturday, August 1st morning is also glassy with 3 ft waves, but the energy is very weak (93). It's an option if you're desperate.

Then we go right back into the doldrums. Sunday, August 2nd brings a fresh to near-gale cross-shore wind, and the rest of the first week of August is a write-off with strong winds and messy, lumpy, or blown-out conditions. The swell picks up a bit, but it's all junk.

There is a more interesting pulse around Wednesday, August 5th. Swell jumps to 5 ft from the E with a very long period of 17 seconds – that's proper groundswell energy (1547). The morning has a clean cross-off breeze from the NE, but it's a fresh breeze at 19 mph. That's a lot of wind for a 5 ft wave. The afternoon on the 5th gets lumpy again. For a beach and reef setup like Nanwan, a long period E swell like that can be a bit tricky as it might break straight, but with the wind in the morning, there's a chance for a few lines if you're an expert. It's a long shot, though.

The last few days of the outlook into the second week of August are just a mess of strong onshore or cross-onshore winds and big, blown-out swell. We're talking near gale conditions and 7 ft waves. That's expert-only territory, and even then, it's a struggle. With the wind and poor quality, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Plain and simple – there's no standout session here. The best of a bad bunch is the small, clean window on Friday, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st. For the rest, it's a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, it's a tough run.

Rusty.

Read more