Nanwan Beach (South Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s take a look at the next couple of weeks down here. The early part is a write-off, I’m afraid. We’ve got a solid run of poor conditions, with a couple of days that look more interesting for kite surfing than for paddle surfing, particularly around the 28th of August when the swell pushes over 10ft and the wind is howling near gale force. The good news is it doesn’t usually stay this grim for long, and there is a flicker of something decent on the horizon.

The first real chance to get wet is on Tuesday morning, 25 August. Nanwan Beach (South Bay) picks up a 7ft swell from the east with a very long period of 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is cross-offshore and clean, and the combined swell energy is a strong 3319, which tells you there’s real power behind it. The water is a warm 84°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. That afternoon the wind stays clean and the swell bumps up to 8ft, still out of the east with a 17-second period and 3489 energy. This is easily the best window in the whole outlook – clean, powerful, and offering some proper waves for experienced surfers. Be aware, with such a long period, it might be a bit straight at the beach, so keep your eyes peeled for a corner.

After that, it’s back to messy, wind-affected, and onshore for days. The wind just won’t play ball, and we creep through a real dry spell until we get to Saturday, 5 September. That morning we see a 10ft swell from the southwest with a 12-second period, but the wind is cross-shore and lumpy. The energy is strong at 4006, but it’s not clean enough to get excited about, and the size is edging into expert-only territory.

Then there’s Sunday morning, 6 September. This is the standout in the second week, but it’s a long way off. The swell is 12ft from the southwest with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 3107. The wind is cross-shore and the forecast says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. That’s a lot of water moving, and it’ll be a heavy, powerful beast. Only for the experienced, and even then, it’s a serious call. The afternoon on the 6th drops to 10ft with a clean cross-offshore wind, but the energy is still over 1800.

The real takeaway is that Tuesday, 25 August, is your window. The rest of the run is either blown out, too big, or just plain messy. Keep an eye on the 6th, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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