Coffs Harbour-North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here for the imperial version. Let’s break it down, same story but in feet and miles per hour.

Mate, it’s a lean stretch for the most part. We’ve got a big dry spell of average-to-poor surf before anything gets you out of bed. The first session worth mentioning is Thursday morning, the 22nd of August, and even that’s a knee-high affair. The whole first week is dominated by small, short-period easterly swell and onshore or cross-onshore breezes. It’s not until the start of September that a proper pulse shows up, and that one is only for the experienced crew.

Let’s walk through it.

Coffs Harbour-North Wall is the only break we’re looking at. It’s a point, fairly consistent, open to SE swell, and it likes it from that direction.

Saturday the 22nd of August morning: glassy, cloudy, a tiny 2ft swell from the ENE at 6 seconds. Energy is a weak 43. You could float a longboard but don’t expect any drive. Afternoon is similar, glassy with a 3ft NE swell at 6 seconds (93 energy). Ordinary.

Sunday the 23rd is a skip – clean but cross-off winds at 12 mph, dropping waves to 2ft and 1ft. The afternoon period hits 12 seconds, but there’s zero size. Energy low at 30 and 80.

Monday the 24th through to Saturday the 29th of August is a rough week. Waves stay under 3ft, periods short (6 to 8 seconds), and the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore from the NE/NNE. Energy climbs into the hundreds, but it’s messy. For example, Tuesday morning the 25th gives 2ft ENE at 8 seconds with a 9 mph cross-on – poor. The cleanest morning is Thursday the 27th, with a light offshore breeze and a 4ft ENE swell at 8 seconds (184 energy), but the wave call is still “very ordinary.” Not worth paddling out for.

Sunday the 30th of August we see a change. Morning brings a 6ft SE swell, but only 6 seconds and cross-shore winds at 6 mph. Energy hits 327 (moderate). Afternoon drops to 5ft with onshore wind. Still poor.

Monday the 31st is bigger and rougher – a 6ft ESE swell in the morning (605 energy), but with 15 mph cross-shore and just 7 seconds. That’s a choppy, blown-out mess – better for a kite.

Then we hit Tuesday the 2nd of September. This is a real standout. Clean, cross-off morning with a 4ft E swell at 11 seconds (527 energy, moderate-strong). Wind is 18 mph from the SSW, but it’s offshore for this point. That long period will give better shape. The afternoon stays clean with a 4ft SSE swell at 9 seconds (543 energy). Marginal, but the best conditions we’ve seen in ages.

The big one is Saturday morning, the 5th of September. A solid 10ft SSE groundswell, 9-second period. Energy is huge at 1568 (very strong). Wind is offshore at 12 mph from the SSW – clean. But here’s the catch: the data says this break is advanced-only, and that swell is predicted to be too big for it. At over 9ft, this is only for experts. The afternoon drops to 8ft SE, still clean in a cross-off, with 949 energy (strong).

Sunday the 6th settles back to a clean 4ft SE swell at 7 seconds (179 energy) – back to ordinary.

So the real standout is that Saturday morning 5th September for the big-wave crew only. The next best is Tuesday 2nd September – smaller but clean with the longest period before that pulse.

Water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual noted.

Long wait, but that last weekend has some sting. Stay frothing.

Rusty.

Read more