Surf
conditions.

Surf height

Significant wave height — the average of the largest third of the waves, which is the standard marine measure and the one the models output. The face you see from the sand generally looks bigger than this number. The body terms (ankle, knee, waist, chest, head-high, overhead) are the usual translation of it, and the metres are always shown next to them.

Swell & period

Height, the seconds between crests, and the direction the swell is travelling from. Longer period (11s and up) means groundswell generated far out at sea, carrying more power and better shape. Short period (under 9s) is local windswell.

Wind

Speed, and the direction it blows from. Bondi looks out at roughly 110°, so wind from the west is offshore and holds the face open; wind from the east is onshore and breaks it up. Same speed, opposite effect — which is why the arrow and the direction sit next to the number. Arrows point the way the wind is travelling, so an arrow pointing inland is onshore.

Surface

Glassy under 8km/h of any wind. Clean, Semi-clean, Choppy and Blown out follow from the speed and whether it's offshore, across or onshore.

Tide

Height above chart datum, the direction it's moving, and the next high or low. Tides are astronomical — the times below are calculated, not forecast, and won't be revised. The curve between two marked points is drawn, as every tide chart draws it, rather than measured.

Rating

Poor · Fair · Good · Epic, weighing three things: whether there's enough swell to ride, whether the wind is holding it open, and whether it's groundswell or windslop. It grades the surf, not the surfer.

One beach, two ends

These readings are modelled for Bondi as a whole. In practice the north end sits in the lee of the headland and usually runs smaller and more sheltered than the south, so the two ends can be quite different on the same day.

Tide comes from Stormglass. Waves, swell and water temperature come from Open-Meteo's marine model; wind, air temperature and rain from its weather model. Both are read for 33.89°S, 151.27°E and refreshed every half hour. These are model forecasts, not buoy or camera observations — look at the water before you paddle out, and read the flags.