Iluka-North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s how the surf’s looking for your local stretch.

The next 16 days start off slow, real slow. The first recommendation doesn’t pop up until the morning of Friday the 28th of August, and even then it’s a short window. For the first couple of days, it’s all poor surf conditions with cross-shore winds and messy, weak energy, so don’t bother paddling out until then.

Friday morning the 28th of August is your first real chance, and it’s a nice one. Iluka-North Wall (breakwater, exposed to the east) will see a small 4ft swell out of the SSE with a 9-second period, and the energy is moderate at 298. The morning is glassy – zero wind, calm as – making for clean, peelable waves. The water’s sitting at 69°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year. It’s a beginner-friendly size, and the break’s very consistent, so you’ll get waves. Crowds are possible though, so get in early.

The next few days are mediocre. Saturday the 29th has rain showers and a cross-shore breeze, only marginal surf. Sunday the 30th shows a bit more push with 5ft SSE swell, but a moderate cross-shore chop messes it up. Energy stays moderate, around 534 on Sunday morning. The whole run from Friday afternoon onward is mostly poor or marginal, with onshore winds and choppy conditions.

Then there’s a real gap. From Wednesday the 2nd of September through to Saturday the 5th, the surf is tiny – 1ft to 3ft – with weak energy as low as 72. It’s clean in the mornings with offshore or glassy winds, but you’re scraping for a wave. The best of that is Friday afternoon the 4th of September: 3ft from the NE, 10-second period, light offshore wind from the west, and clean. Energy is moderate at 250. Still, it’s small.

The standout is Monday morning the 7th of September. That’s the one to circle. Iluka-North Wall will see a 5ft SSE swell with a 10-second period, and the energy is strong at 1160 – that’s proper power. The wind is light offshore from the southwest, so it’ll be clean. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The swell’s a bit much for beginners, but for anyone with a bit of paddle fitness, it’s game on. Keep in mind the long period will make for longer lulls between sets, but the shape should be good at this breakwater spot.

Tuesday morning the 8th of September is also very good: 5ft SSE swell, 15-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell with a lot of energy (968). Glassy conditions, zero wind. It’s another clean morning, but the long period might make it break a bit straight at times, so watch the tide. Still, a quality session for the experienced crew.

After that, the surf fades back into small, marginal stuff through the 9th and 10th of September, with onshore winds spoiling the afternoons. The second week’s outlook is mostly small and ordinary, with light cross-shore winds and weak energy.

So, overall, Friday morning the 28th of August is a nice little warm-up, but the real standout is Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th of September. Get out there for those.

Rusty

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