Coffs Harbour-North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks. The finds aren't screaming, but there are a few windows of opportunity if you're keen. The big story is a prolonged lull after the first few days, with a late burst of longer-period energy right at the tail end of the forecast but only offering very small surf, so it’s all about timing.

The water temp is sitting at 67°F at Coffs Harbour-North Wall, which is pretty darn close to what you’d expect for this time of year – nothing wild there, just your standard winter/spring transition feel.

We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag for the first couple of mornings. Monday the 17th morning is your first real chance. Swell from the SE at 5ft with a 7-second period, and a light SSW cross-off breeze. Clean conditions, but the combined swell energy is moderate at best (362). It’s surfable, but don't get carried away.

The standout play looks to be Wednesday morning, the 19th. We’ve got a cleaner 4ft swell from the ESE, period stretches to 8 seconds, and the wind swings SSW again as a light cross-off. Energy ticks up just a notch to 304. It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and punchy for a point break.

If you can sit on your hands, Thursday morning the 20th is probably the best pure condition of the first week. It’s dead glassy – zero wind – with a 5ft ESE swell. The period is still short at 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy off the beach, but at North Wall, a point break, that short period won’t ruin it and the glassy surface will make it feel clean. That’s your window with the highest quality.

After that, the week drops off hard. A northerly wind change Friday the 21st kills things, and from Saturday the 22nd onward, we are looking at a long, drawn-out lull. Swell drops below 3ft and the energy levels barely crack 100. We’re talking days of small, weak surf with mostly onshore or cross-off wind that doesn’t do you any favours. A few tiny windows with glassy or offshore conditions (like early Saturday the 22nd and early Sunday the 23rd) keep it as “surfable but ordinary”. You are looking at nearly a full week of sub-par conditions.

Then we get a flicker of life on Wednesday the 26th of August. A fresh, small SSE groundswell arrives with a long 15-second period. It’s only 2ft to 3ft, but energy jumps right up (370) because of that long period. Offshore winds (WSW) in the morning, switching lighter offshore in the arvo. This is that classic groundswell situation – long period, small height – perfect for a point break like North Wall. It will be very clean, with long, glassy lines, but it will be small and definitely for a longboard or a fish. It’s the best wave shape of the whole run, even if it’s tiny.

After that, it gets messy again. A stronger offshore on the 27th (SW 15 mph) kills the quality with a short-period SE swell that just gets chopped up. The end of the month and into the 31st sees a return to tiny, weak surf and flat spells.

So, to sum it up: don't waste your time on the small, blustery middle week. Nail the glassy Thursday morning the 20th for the cleanest 5ft waves, or have a longboard ready for Wednesday the 26th for those perfect little lines off that long-period groundswell. That’s the pick. Keep an eye on the wind – the swell’s there, we just need it to play nice. The rest is a write-off until the very tail end.

Rusty.

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