Freshwater and Harbord Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looking at the 16-day window, I gotta be straight with you – it’s mostly a flat, poor run for a good while. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off, with tiny, weak, and often messy conditions. The real highlight, and it’s a bloody standout, is a solid pulse that swings through on Sunday, September 20th and into Monday, September 21st. That’s where we’ll see the best of it.

We’re starting at Freshwater and Harbord, a consistent spot that’s sheltered and beginner-friendly with an ENE optimum swell. The water temp is 64°F, which is about average for this time of year.

For the first nine days, from Thursday the 10th through to Saturday the 19th of September, don’t bother. It’s a long gap of poor surf. Most of the time the swell is a piddly 0.7ft to 1ft, with short, weak periods and combined wave energy barely breaking into double digits (19 to 63 range). The wind’s all over the place, from cross-on to cross, and the wave comment is consistently “poor surf conditions.” A few glassy mornings (like Saturday the 12th and Thursday the 17th) might look tempting, but there’s just no swell to push. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

Then Sunday, September 20th hits. The morning brings a clean 8ft swell from the SSE, with a solid 11-second period and combined energy of 1267 – that’s strong wave energy. With a light cross-off wind, it’ll be clean. This is the best on offer. Heads up, though: that 8ft puts it in the “too big for beginners” territory, and over 8ft is expert-only, so it’s not one for the learners. The afternoon gets choppy with a 16 mph crosswind, so hit the dawny.

Monday, September 21st holds on with a glassy 5ft swell from the SE (10-second period, 868 combined energy). That’s a more manageable size, but the morning glass-off (3 mph WNW) will be precious. As the day goes on, a light cross-on wind and dropping swell make it less appealing. After that, it fades back to small, ordinary stuff through the rest of the week, with poor conditions returning.

So there you have it. Two solid mornings to aim for: the 20th and 21st. Get out there before the wind spoils it. Because the first nine days are a write-off, this is one of those “wait for the pulse” situations. For the kite surfers, some of those windy, choppy days might be fun, but not for a paddle.

Stay stoked.
Rusty.

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