Nanwan Beach (South Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's get straight into it.

Look, if you’re hanging out for a wave at Nanwan Beach (South Bay) over the next week or so, you’re in for a tough time. We’re staring down the barrel of a pretty long, flat spell. From now through the first few days of August, the energy is just not there. The swell is tiny, barely pushing 2ft to 4ft, and what little there is comes from the SSW with a short period around 7-8 seconds. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, often a moderate breeze, leaving the surface chopped up and messy. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 42 and 242, so it’s just not going to be worth paddling out. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Things don’t get any better through the first week of August. The 3rd and 4th see a shift in swell direction to the east, but the height is still pitifully small, and the 4th afternoon brings a marginal tide issue with a score of just 1 out of 10. The energy jumps up a bit on the 4th afternoon to 679, but it’s still not clean.

Now, here’s the one true standout in this entire 16-day window. Mark your calendar for the morning of Wednesday, August 5th. This is the only time we get a real chance. The conditions finally align. The swell is from the east, a solid 5ft with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s groundswell, and it’ll have some real push. The wind is forecast to be glassy, which is a major positive. The combined energy surges to a strong 1026, and the wave comment says to expect very good surf conditions. The only downside? That long period groundswell might make it break a bit straight at the beach, so look for any sandbar or rip to help shape it up. This is the only session worth chasing. The afternoon of the 5th gets messy with a cross-shore, so don’t sleep in.

After that, we’re back to slop. The 6th through the 11th sees the wind howling, with near-gale gusts from the south and SSW, and the swell gets bigger but it’s completely blown out. The 9th and 10th actually see solid swell height over 7ft, and on the 10th it hits 8ft, but the wind is absolutely destroying it. This is heavy, messy, and onshore. For the 8th and 9th, with that strong onshore wind and a beach setup, this is honestly looking more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers. The conditions are just too rough.

So, to sum it up: a long, flat gap now, then a single, sharp window of quality on the morning of August 5th. Get it while you can.

Rusty.

Read more