
Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater and Harbord surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 14 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 6s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SSE swell with 1,188 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period with NE 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Freshwater and Harbord in the next 16 days are 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore 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 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater and Harbord over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, checking in on the local stretch at Freshwater and Harbord. We’re in for a pretty lean run, so don’t get your hopes up just yet. Water temp is sitting at about 64°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Right now, Saturday the 12th is flat as a tack. You’ve got barely a ripple at 0.7 ft with glassy conditions, but honestly, it’s more of a lake than the ocean. The combined energy is only 19 (very weak), so leave the boards at home.
Sunday the 13th picks up a tiny bit – we’re looking at 2 ft in the morning from the NE, but the period is a short 5 seconds, so no power behind it. Wind is light and cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, but still not worth paddling out. Afternoon gets a bit more height at 4 ft, but it gets messy with 19 mph cross-shore winds.
Monday the 14th is a tough one. Morning shows 4 ft with a 6-second period and a little more energy (153 – moderate), but winds are cross-off and it’s only rated as surfable but very ordinary. Afternoon sees 5 ft but the period drops to 5 seconds and you’ve got light rain and cross-off winds – still not good. The combined energy is 131, but the quality just isn’t there.
Tuesday morning the 15th has 3 ft from the NE, but cross-on winds and a 7-second period make it choppy. The energy is 104 (moderate), but it’s not what you’d call inviting.
From Wednesday the 16th through to the end of the month, it’s mostly cross-on winds, short period slop, and low energy. There’s a couple of mornings – like Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th – that pop up with 3 ft and a bit more period (7-11 seconds) and clean conditions, with energy hitting 173 and 242 (moderate to strong), but even those are rated as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” The wind is offshore on Saturday the 19th morning, which is rare, so you might get a few fun ones if you’re desperate, but it’s hardly a standout.
Late in the window, Tuesday the 22nd sees the biggest swell of the period – 5 ft to 6 ft from the SSE with 8-9 second period and energy up to 481 (strong). But the winds are cross-on and choppy, and the break here is sheltered from that direction, so it’s likely closing out or messy. The 24th also has 6 ft but again, cross-on wind and choppy.
Honestly, there are no true standouts here. The best bet might be the Saturday 19th morning at Freshwater – 3 ft from the east with an 11-second period (longer period groundswell), light offshore wind, and clean conditions. The energy is 242, so there’s some punch, and longer period means better shape and easier paddling between sets. But this spot is sheltered and usually prefers ENE swell, so it might not hit the banks perfectly. Since it’s a consistent beginner spot, crowds are often around, so you’ll have company.
Otherwise, it’s a long dry spell with lots of poor-to-ordinary days. If you’re into kite surfing, some of those afternoons with 12-19 mph cross-shore winds and decent chop might be more your thing, but for paddle surfing, this is a tough outlook.
Keep an eye on the forecasts – it tends not to stay this poor for long.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the NNE by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Wed morning, light winds from the SW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 14 | ENE 14 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 5 | NE 7 | NE 7 | S 5 | NE 7 | ENE 14 | S 10 | NE 13 | E 13 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 10 | E 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | 19 | 30 | 19 | 56 | 245 | 82 | 115 | 244 | 91 | 47 | 18 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 134 | 138 | 126 | 100 | 296 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:56PM1.47m | 9:22AM1.44m | 9:37PM1.35m | 9:59AM1.45m | 10:17PM1.22m | 10:36AM1.42m | 10:59PM1.09m | 11:16AM1.37m | 11:45PM0.98m | 12:02PM1.31m | 00:41AM0.90m | 12:58PM1.25m | 1:55AM0.85m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:48PM0.16m | 3:09AM0.12m | 3:33PM0.18m | 3:41AM0.19m | 4:18PM0.23m | 4:13AM0.28m | 5:04PM0.29m | 4:46AM0.37m | 5:55PM0.37m | 5:22AM0.45m | 6:55PM0.43m | 6:06AM0.53m | 8:07PM0.47m | ||||||||
5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | |
— | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 11 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 14 | — | NE 13 | S 18 | ESE 7 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | E 10 |
418 | 279 | 158 | 181 | 143 | 161 | 54 | 81 | 183 | 91 | 36 | 11 | 20 | — | 7 | 7 | 134 | 356 | 163 | 163 | 296 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 19 | S 17 | S 20 | NE 5 | ENE 13 | S 12 | S 11 | ENE 13 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | ENE 13 | ENE 14 | — | — | E 13 | S 19 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | S 9 |
184 | 142 | 121 | 19 | 17 | 175 | 123 | 16 | 48 | 29 | 15 | 18 | 20 | — | — | 3 | 7 | 138 | 126 | 64 | 106 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 14 | ENE 14 | ENE 13 | S 17 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | — | ENE 12 | NE 13 | ENE 13 | — | — | — | — | — | E 13 | E 13 | E 10 | ESE 10 | S 17 |
19 | 19 | 16 | 49 | 17 | 17 | 17 | — | 15 | 6 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 47 | 100 | 93 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 3 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 5 | NE 7 | SW 4 | S 5 | S 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | S 9 | — | — | ENE 3 | NNE 4 |
— | 3 | 30 | 26 | 56 | 245 | 82 | 115 | 244 | 7 | 47 | 842 | 1730 | 3166 | 2542 | 1424 | 805 | — | — | 7 | 12 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 505 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 10 | 209 | 154 | 841 | 727 | 187 | 10 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
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.










