Forster Beach (Nambucca) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for Forster Beach (Nambucca) is a real mixed bag, and mostly a quiet one. There’s a long, drawn-out run of very ordinary surf for the first week or so, with hardly anything worth getting excited about. The water temp is sitting at 67°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, so no wetsuit drama there.

The whole period kicks off with a bit of a dud. Monday afternoon, 3rd August, we’ve got a weak 4ft SE swell, but it’s a short-period 10 seconds and the wind is a cross-on from the NE at 15 km/h, making it choppy and messy. Not worth a paddle.

Tuesday morning, 4th August is the only real glimmer in the first week. We’ve got a tiny 2ft SSE swell, period a short 8 seconds, but the wind is dead calm – glassy conditions. The wave energy is weak (64). It’s surfable, but only just. For a beginner, this is about as easy as it gets, but you won’t be getting any barrels. The crowds are “sometimes” there, so you might have a few mates out.

From there, it’s a long stretch of nothing. Wednesday through to the following Monday (17th August) we’re looking at surf that’s either too small, too onshore, or just plain messy. Swell heights mostly hanging around 1ft to 3ft, with short periods and cross-off or cross-on winds. The energy readings are all in the weak-to-moderate range (between 54 and 234). There’s a few clean mornings with light winds, but the swell is just too small to bother. On Saturday 9th, we get a slight bump to 4ft from the ENE, but it’s cross-on and short period – marginal at best.

Now, the standout. Tuesday 18th August morning finally delivers. We’ve got a 4ft S swell, period 9 seconds, with clean conditions thanks to a light S wind at 10 km/h (cross-off). The wave energy is moderate (324). This is the pick of the bunch – it’s the only morning in the whole forecast that earns a “good surf conditions” tag. The afternoon gets a bit dicey: the swell jumps to 8ft from the S, but it’s a short 10-second period, and the wind turns cross-shore, making it lumpy. The energy spikes to 1946 (very strong), but for a beach break like this, that much short-period swell with cross-shore wind is more of a challenge than a treat. That afternoon is really only for the experienced crew, and even then, it’s a bit of a slop-fest.

So, what’s the call? The only real chance you’ve got is Tuesday morning 18th August. It’s clean, it’s got a bit of push, and it’s the best on offer. Everything else before that is a write-off. Get out there early that Tuesday, and you might snag a few fun ones.

Rusty.

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