Forster Beach (Nambucca) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for our patch of sand.

Straight up, this is a tough run for the start. Forster Beach (Nambucca) is going to be flat and messy for the first ten days or so, with hardly anything worth paddling out for. There is a real dry spell from Wednesday the 2nd right through until around the beginning of the second week. The energy just isn’t there, and when it does show up, the wind is all wrong. It’s a stretch of very ordinary conditions, lots of onshore and cross-onshore breezes, and waves that are small and weak. You’ll see the combined swell energy sitting in the low to moderate range most days, with many readings under 200 (weak to moderate energy) – not inspiring stuff.

Wednesday morning the 2nd offers a tiny bit of hope: a glassy 0.7m (2ft) south swell with an 11-second period, giving a combined energy of 161 (weak to moderate). It’s surfable but the conditions are “very ordinary” – not worth getting excited about. On the 3rd, Thursday morning stays glassy but drops to 0.5m (2ft). Thursday afternoon switches to a 1.1m (4ft) north-northeast windswell, period of only 6 seconds (short period, crumbly), but the wind goes glassy. Again, surfable at best.

Then it’s a long run of nothing until the 7th of September, where the swell tries to pick up but is ruined by rain and cross-onshore winds. The 8th of September Tuesday afternoon shows a bump to 2.1m (7ft) from the northeast, but it’s a 6-second windswell with a moderate onshore breeze and the rating says poor – that’s a washing machine, probably more fun for the kite crew than paddle surfers.

The real standout, the one to circle on the calendar, is Tuesday the 15th of September. Forster Beach (Nambucca) will see a strong south-southeast groundswell, 2.4m to 2.5m (8ft to 8ft), with a very long period of 14 seconds (groundswell energy). The combined swell energy spikes into the thousands (2239 to 2717), which is strong to very strong energy. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the southwest, giving clean faces. This is expert territory for sure – too big for beginners and intermediates. But for those with the skills, that’s excellent surf. A long-period groundswell like that, 14 seconds, will produce powerful, well-shaped lines, but remember it can be a bit straight at a beach break – here it should still offer up some solid walls.

The day before, Monday the 14th, has a marginal 1.3m (4ft) south swell with 9-second period, combined energy of 509 (moderate to strong), but the wind is onshore from the east-northeast and conditions are described as “marginal or questionable tide” – a bit of a tease.

Wednesday the 16th still has some clean leftover energy: 1.3m to 1.2m (4ft to 4ft) south-southeast swell, 11-second period, light cross-offshore wind from the south, and combined energy in the strong range (627 and 382). The conditions are described as “very good” to “good.” A nice follow-up session for those who aren’t charging the big Tuesday peak.

To sum it up: the first week and a half is a write-off. The only real shot you’ve got is Tuesday the 15th, with the clean, strong, long-period south-southeast groundswell. That’s the one. Thursday the 17th morning also offers a clean 3ft (1.0m) south swell at 11 seconds with light offshore wind – a good, smaller option to finish the run. Hang in there.

Rusty

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