Forster Beach (Nambucca) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break down Forster Beach (Nambucca) for you.

We’ve got a decent run of surf coming, but you’ve gotta pick your windows. The water’s about 67°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises.

The big standout is Thursday morning, August 13th. You’ll see a clean 5ft south swell with a 10-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore, so the faces will be smooth. The combined energy is a solid 531 (moderate to strong), so there’s plenty of push. This is a great all-rounder – not too big, not too small, and clean. Forster Beach is fairly consistent and exposed to the swell, so it’ll handle it well. Just a heads up, crowds are around sometimes, so you might have a few mates out.

The next cracker is Friday morning, August 14th. Even better energy – 746 (moderate to strong) – with a 6ft south swell at 9 seconds. Same light cross-offshore wind, so it’s gonna be clean again. This is probably the pick of the lot for size and power, but still manageable.

Now, the first week has a few options. Wednesday the 12th is a write-off – tiny, cross-on, and marginal. But from Thursday onward, we’ve got a good run. Thursday afternoon gets a bit sloppy with a 15 mph cross-shore, so stick to the mornings. Friday afternoon’s no good either. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are both clean with cross-off winds, but the swell’s a bit smaller and short-period (6 to 7 seconds), so it’ll be a bit weak and bumpy. Worth a paddle if you’re keen, but not a standout.

Monday morning, August 17th is a solid call – 7ft of south-east swell at 8 seconds, with a clean cross-off breeze. That’s gettin’ into the bigger range, so it’s for the experienced crew. The energy is 552 (moderate to strong), so it’s got some grunt.

Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are still decent, with clean mornings and 3ft to 6ft swell, but the energy drops off a bit.

Then we hit a real sweet spot at the end of the first week and into the second. Thursday morning, August 20th – glassy conditions, 4ft east-north-east groundswell with a 10-second period, and 379 energy (moderate). That’s a beautiful window for a long session. Friday morning, August 21st is nearly a carbon copy – glassy, 4ft, 9-second period, and 241 energy. Saturday morning, August 22nd – dead calm, glassy, 4ft east-north-east swell at 10 seconds, with 265 energy. Absolute perfection for a relaxed paddle.

The second week (from the 23rd onwards) gets a bit patchy. Sunday the 23rd is cross-on and messy, but Monday the 24th has a clean morning with 3ft east swell. The surf then fades right out. Tuesday morning, August 25th is tiny, only 3ft, and by Wednesday the 26th we’re down to 2ft. The energy drops to 70 (weak) by Wednesday. There’s a gap of a few days of poor to no surf here.

Then, right at the very end of the forecast on Thursday morning, August 27th, there’s a weird spike – a 8ft south swell with a 10-second period, and a massive 1518 energy (strong to very strong). But the wind is onshore, and it’s labelled as marginal. That’s a big, messy lump for experts only, and even then, it’s questionable. Honestly, for that size and onshore wind, the setup at Forster Beach might be more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute best is Friday morning, August 14th – 6ft, clean, good energy. Then Thursday and Friday mornings, August 20th and 21st for glassy, smaller fun. The first week has plenty of action, but you gotta be out in the mornings. The second week fades hard, with only a few clean, small windows, and then a big, messy spike at the end. Get on it early.

Rusty.

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