Nanwan Beach (South Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Nanwan Beach (South Bay). It's a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, so let's get into it.

The forecast kicks off with a flat spell. From Thursday, the 10th of September, right through to the end of the weekend, we're looking at tiny, weak waves. The swell is barely scraping 1 ft with a short, weak period from the SW. The wind is a fresh cross-offshore breeze, but it doesn't matter because there's just no energy in the water at all. It's a frustrating start, with nothing to get excited about.

We finally see a pulse of energy arrive on Sunday the 13th. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the SSW. The period is a short 8 seconds though, so it'll be a bit mushy and lacking punch. The wind is still a cross-offshore, so it's not totally blown out, but the conditions are described as "marginal". This continues into Monday the 14th with a cleaner 4 ft SW swell at 9 seconds and a light breeze, even turning offshore for the afternoon. It's surfable, but it's very ordinary. Honestly, nothing to write home about.

The real standout, and I mean the only one worth planning around, is a big swell event starting on Wednesday the 16th. But it comes with a massive caveat. The swell builds from 7 ft on Wednesday morning to a full-on 12 ft by Thursday morning the 17th, with a long period of 13 seconds from the SW. This is a serious groundswell. However, the predicted size is over 8 ft, which puts this firmly in the "experts only" category. The wind is also a fresh cross-shore on Thursday morning, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. The guidance says it's "too big for this break." For a beach and reef setup like Nanwan, it's likely going to be a washing machine. For the average punter, this is a skip. The water temperature is a warm 84°, which is about average for the time of year.

After that peak, the swell drops back through the 7 ft to 8 ft range for the rest of that week, with long periods (12-13 seconds) and moderate cross-offshore winds. It's still very demanding. The quality is still only "marginal" in the forecast.

Then there's a brief, weird spike on Sunday the 20th of September. The morning shows a massive 10 ft swell from the east with a very long period of 19 seconds. The wind is a moderate cross-offshore, so it might be clean, but again, it's a massive, powerful, long-period groundswell. For a beach break, that long period means it'll be sectiony and close out a lot. This is definitely not for the faint of heart.

After that, the entire second week drops off a cliff. From Monday the 21st onward, the swell plummets back to flat, inconsistent dribble. Swell heights are below 2 ft, periods are short, and the energy is basically zero. The wind is all over the place, but it doesn't matter. The surf is gone.

So, here's the bottom line: If you're an expert looking for a challenge, the morning of Thursday the 17th of September is the biggest and most powerful swell on offer, but it's going to be a messy, heavy beast. For the regular surfer, there's a few small, clean days on the 14th and 15th of September that are just about surfable, but nothing special. The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off.

Rusty.

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