Forster Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty.

Alright, the first real chance to get wet is this Friday morning, September 11th, at Forster Beach. The swell is running at about 7 feet from the south, with a 10-second period. That’s a decent amount of energy out there. The wind is a light cross-off from the SSW at 9 mph, so the faces should be pretty clean. This spot is fairly open to the south, and the direction lines up well. The water temp is around 67°F, which is dead average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

Friday afternoon the swell drops to about 6 feet, same south direction and 10-second period, but the wind goes more cross-shore at 6 mph. It’s still rideable, but a bit more average.

Now, Saturday morning the 12th – this is the one. We’ve got rain showers early, but don’t let that fool you. The wind is glassy – zero, dead calm from the SSE. The swell is a clean 5 feet from the south, with an 11-second period. That’s proper groundswell. The energy is moderate (781), but with those glassy conditions, you’re getting silky, lined-up waves. Get out there early. By afternoon, the wind swings onshore from the ESE at 12 mph and it’s all over.

From there, things go downhill fast. Sunday and Monday mornings are all cross-on wind and choppy, with the swell dropping fast: 4 feet down to 2 feet. Tuesday and Wednesday are tiny – barely any energy (a reading of 81 on Tuesday morning), and the wind is still junk. That Wednesday afternoon has a 0.6-foot swell with a super long 18-second period, but it’s a cross-on fresh breeze at 19 mph. Not worth it.

There’s a dry spell until we get to Saturday, September 19th afternoon – over a week out. That afternoon, the swell jumps back up to a solid 10 feet from the south, 11-second period. That’s strong energy (1937), but it’s cross-on from the NE at 6 mph. At that size and with cross-on wind, it’s just for experts and it’s doubtful quality.

Then Sunday morning, the 20th, it’s a more manageable 8 feet from the south, still an 11-second period, with the wind light from the SSE at 3 mph – nearly glassy. Good energy (1318). That’s a promising late window, but it’s a long way out, so don’t plan your life on it yet.

The rest of the second week sees swell in the 4 to 6-foot range, but the wind is nearly always cross-on or onshore from the east or north-east, so it’s mostly messy. A couple of clean cross-off moments show up, but the swell is tiny (2 feet on Saturday the 19th morning, or 3 feet on Friday the 25th morning with a strong 19 mph WSW wind). Nothing worth paddling for.

So, your best bet is Saturday morning the 12th – glassy, clean, and a proper south groundswell. Friday morning the 11th is your second choice. And keep an eye on Sunday the 20th morning, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

Read more