Freshwater and Harbord Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s happening at Freshwater and Harbord.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag. The first week is pretty flat and messy, then there’s a little window of cleaner conditions around the 11th and 12th of September that might give you a chance to get wet, but it’s not going to be anything to write home about. After that, it gets lumpy and blown out again.

So, from the start – Wednesday the 2nd of September, we’ve got tiny swell, only 1 ft from the ENE with a short 10-second period. The combined swell energy is weak (53). Winds are offshore from the NW, so the water’s clean, but there’s just no push. The water temperature is about average for the time of year at 64°F, not noticeably warm or cold. Thursday and Friday stay tiny, 1.0 ft to 2 ft, with periods dropping to 5 or 10 seconds. Friday morning is glassy, but the wave heights are still poor. Through the weekend and into early next week, it’s a mix of cross-off and cross-onshore winds with swell barely reaching 1 ft to 3 ft. The combined energy stays under 100, so basically flat.

Then Monday the 7th afternoon, we see a spike – the swell jumps to 3 ft from the SSE, period 9 seconds, and the combined energy hits 131 (moderate). But the wind is cross-onshore from the ENE, so it’s choppy. Tuesday the 8th keeps that 3 ft SSE swell with a short 8-second period and energy around 147, but the wind is onshore or cross-shore, not clean.

Now, the only real standout in this whole run is the morning of Friday the 11th of September. The swell bumps up to 6 ft from the ESE, period 8 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 434 (strong). This is a decent pulse of swell, but it’s a short-period swell, so it’ll be a bit fat and not as well-shaped as a groundswell. The good news is the wind is light from the NNE, cross-offshore, so the surface will be clean. This is a sheltered spot, so it handles the ENE direction well, but at 6 ft, it’s getting a bit big for beginners – maybe more for intermediates and up. The weekend mornings of the 12th of September see the swell drop to 4 ft, still from the ESE, with light offshore winds from the NNW, giving clean conditions, but the energy is moderate (171). Nothing special, but surfable.

After that, the 13th and 14th of September get messy again – onshore winds, rising swell up to 7 ft from the ENE, but with a short 7-second period and strong energy (410). That’s a lot of chop and not much form. The 15th of September morning has a brief reprieve with a 5 ft ENE swell and offshore winds from the NW, but the energy is still moderate (235) and the period is short (8 seconds). Then it’s back to blown-out, small surf for the rest of the run.

So, bottom line: the best bet is the morning of Friday the 11th of September. Clean conditions, a solid 6 ft of swell, but expect it to be a bit sloppy due to the short period. The Saturday morning of the 12th is a smaller, cleaner alternative. Crowds are often at Freshwater and Harbord, so expect company. After that, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions through the second week. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty

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