Forster Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is your local surf reporter Rusty, and I’m looking at what’s coming up for Forster Beach.

First up, the long-term picture. Honestly, for the next week and a half, it’s a bit of a struggle. We’ve got a real slow start, and then a lot of junky, cross-onshore chop that’s just not going to deliver anything clean. The first real hope doesn’t appear until the morning of Tuesday, 22 July, and even that’s small. The standout window is shaping up to be the very end of the run, from the morning of Wednesday, 29 July, through to the afternoon of Friday, 31 July. That’s your best bet. For the first week plus, there’s a real gap of surfable, clean waves.

Let’s start with the early days. Friday, 17 July, through to Monday, 20 July, is a write-off. We’re looking at rain showers, strong cross-onshore winds from the SSE and SE at 20 km/h, and a messy, choppy surface. The swell is a mix of short-period ESE and E windswell, running 5 ft to 6 ft, but the combined energy is moderate (355 to 632). The water temp is 67°, which is about average for this time of year. Not worth getting wet.

Things start to look a little better on Tuesday morning, 22 July. It’s small, with a 4 ft ENE swell, but the wind goes glassy—literally calm, from the NW at 5 km/h. That’s clean, but the wave energy is weak (282), so it’s a longboard or a funboard kind of morning. A few others might be out, but nothing too crowded.

Wednesday, 23 July, and Thursday, 24 July, are a mixed bag. Wednesday morning has a clean, cross-offshore wind, but the swell is tiny at 3 ft. Thursday morning is similarly clean but small at 4 ft. Not much to write home about.

The real action starts on Wednesday, 29 July. That morning, the forecast shows a solid 10 ft S groundswell, with a period of 11 seconds, and a NNW wind of 10 km/h giving us a clean, cross-offshore flow. The combined energy is strong (2093). This is a big, powerful swell, and it’s only for experienced surfers; beginners, stay on the beach. This kind of longer-period swell works best at a reef or point, and Forster Beach is a beach break, so it might be a bit unruly. The afternoon drops to 7 ft with a cross-on wind, so the morning is the window.

Then, on Friday, 31 July, we get another standout. The morning sees a 7 ft S swell with a 9-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the W at 10 km/h. The afternoon is even better: 8 ft S swell, 10-second period, and glassy conditions with a light WSW wind. The combined energy is very strong (1062). This is your best bet for the whole 16 days. Expect very good, clean conditions. Crowds are possible at Forster Beach, so get there early.

Saturday, 1 August, drops off with a moderate breeze and smaller swell.

So, the standout is clear: Friday, 31 July, morning and afternoon. That’s the one to pencil in. Wednesday, 29 July morning is also a big swell for the experienced crew.

Rusty out.

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