
Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater and Harbord surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 9s period, SSE swell with 540 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Freshwater and Harbord this week:
The surf forecast for Freshwater and Harbord over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Freshwater and Harbord in the next 16 days are 1.8m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 10s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater and Harbord over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the surf for the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with ya—this stretch is gonna test your patience. We’ve got a long, dry spell of nothing worthwhile on the cards before things finally start to move, but even then, it’s gonna be messy and mostly for the crew who don’t mind getting knocked around.
First up, the immediate window is dead. From Tuesday the 15th right through to the morning of Wednesday the 23rd, we’re looking at barely a ripple. Wave heights are mostly below 1m, with the odd day seeing nothing at all. The energy is almost non-existent—combined swell energy sits in the single digits most days, like 3, 5, or 7. Weak, weak stuff. The wind is all over the place, mostly cross or cross-on, and even when it goes offshore for a few hours on Friday the 18th or Sunday the 20th, there’s just no swell to work with. Paddling out would be an act of pure hope, not logic.
Then we hit Wednesday the 23rd. The ocean finally wakes up, but it’s not friendly. The morning sees a jump in swell to 1.7m out of the SSE with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy shoots up to 680—moderate to strong. But it comes with rain showers and a cross-shore wind that’s gonna chop it all up. The afternoon drops off to 1.0m, so that window is short and messy. Thursday the 24th has a cleaner morning with a cross-off breeze and 1.1m from the ENE, but the energy is still moderate at 85, and the period is short at 6 seconds. It’s not great—short period means weak, crumbly waves, not the kind of push you want. By the afternoon, it’s already jumping to 1.8m and 237 energy, but the wind is fresh and cross, so it’s lumpy chaos.
The standouts, if you can call them that, are the mornings of Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th. On the 25th, we get 1.3m from the NE with 251 energy, but again—6-second period means it’s all chop and no glide. The wind is moderate and cross, so it’s not clean. Saturday the 26th is the pick of the two. We’ve got 1.8m from the NE in the morning, energy up at 634—that’s strong—and the period extends a touch to 8 seconds. The wind is light, only 10 km/h, but it’s cross, so there’s some texture. It’s marginal at best. The afternoon holds similar size at 1.9m and 709 energy, but light rain moves in. This is the most powerful the swell gets all run, but with the short period and cross-shore wind, it’s going to be lumpy and hard to read. Not for beginners—well over 1.5m and closing in on 2m.
After that, Sunday the 27th and Monday the 28th see the swell hang around but the wind turns onshore and fresh. Sunday has 2-1.6m but with 30 km/h winds and rain, it’s blown out. Monday the 28th pushes to 1.9m in the morning with 631 energy, but again, fresh cross-onshore winds and rain—this is more of a washing machine than a surf. By Tuesday the 29th, it’s dropping back to 1.0-1.1m, and the energy drops too, but the wind stays strong and messy.
So honestly, there’s no day I’d be rushing out the door for. The best on offer is probably Saturday the 26th morning at Freshwater and Harbord—bigger, powerful, but only for experienced surfers who can handle a lumpy, short-period closeout. The water temp is sitting at 17°, which is about what you’d expect for this time of year—nothing weird there.
One more note—with the combo of decent size, short periods, and strong onshore winds later in the run, especially Sunday and Monday, the beach is gonna be a mess. If you’re not keen on paddling, that stretch looks a lot more interesting for a kite surfer than a surfer.
Hang tight, keep the board in the car for a quick dawny on the 26th if you’re keen, and otherwise, this is a waiting game. Forecasts change, so don’t write the whole fortnight off just yet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Tue afternoon, light winds from the NW by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 13 | E 15 | ENE 12 | NE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 13 | E 12 | ESE 7 | NE 4 | S 10 | S 10 | E 12 | NE 11 | ENE 3 | NE 4 | S 5 | E 10 | E 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
75 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 35 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 39 | 2 | 5 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross | off | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:36AM1.42m | 10:59PM1.09m | 11:16AM1.37m | 11:45PM0.98m | 12:02PM1.31m | 00:41AM0.90m | 12:58PM1.25m | 1:55AM0.85m | 2:06PM1.22m | 3:20AM0.85m | 3:17PM1.23m | 4:28AM0.90m | 4:18PM1.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:04PM0.29m | 4:46AM0.37m | 5:55PM0.37m | 5:22AM0.45m | 6:55PM0.43m | 6:06AM0.53m | 8:07PM0.47m | 7:07AM0.58m | 9:23PM0.47m | 8:26AM0.60m | 10:27PM0.43m | 9:42AM0.57m | 11:15PM0.36m | ||||||||
5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | |
— | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 21 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 19 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 6 | NE 12 | ENE 12 | NE 13 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 4 | S 10 | S 9 | E 11 |
75 | 36 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 1290 | 690 | 452 | 388 | 260 | 173 | 158 | 113 | 87 | 60 | 41 | 6 | 29 | 431 | 2 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | ENE 13 | E 15 | — | — | S 19 | S 19 | NE 13 | S 18 | S 18 | NE 4 | S 15 | S 15 | S 17 | S 16 | S 18 | S 10 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 11 |
29 | 14 | 18 | 4 | — | — | 28 | 7 | 7 | 106 | 216 | 13 | 42 | 42 | 22 | 20 | 26 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 13 | ENE 13 | S 16 | — | — | — | E 13 | E 13 | S 19 | E 12 | E 12 | S 15 | S 18 | S 18 | E 12 | NE 11 | E 11 | S 7 | S 15 | E 10 | — |
6 | 17 | 5 | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 115 | 57 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 2 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 3 | SSE 4 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | — | — | — | — | ESE 7 | — | WSW 4 | — | N 4 | — | ENE 3 | — | S 5 | — | S 7 |
1 | 18 | 1298 | 2543 | 2541 | 2770 | — | — | — | — | 35 | — | 5 | — | 2 | — | 4 | — | 39 | — | 408 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1307 | 187 | 727 | 727 | 10 | 2 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 82 | 97 | 187 | 154 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sydney North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Freshwater and Harbord Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Freshwater and Harbord provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Freshwater and Harbord can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Freshwater and Harbord surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Freshwater and Harbord) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Freshwater and Harbord may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Freshwater and Harbord is 4 km (2 miles) from Dee Why. If you plan a holiday in Sydney North Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Dee Why. Dee Why has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










