Iluka-North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – the next two weeks at Iluka-North Wall are a tough watch. We’ve got a long gap of pretty ordinary surf to start, so you might wanna park the board for a bit. The first surf worth mentioning doesn't show up until the morning of Saturday the 29th, and even then it’s a marginal one. We’re looking at 4 ft from the SSE with a period of 10 seconds and a cross wind. The combined wave energy is moderate (332). It’s not terrible, but it’s not exciting either. Water temp is sitting around 68°, which is about average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

Sunday the 30th sees a bit of a bump in height, with 6 ft from the SSE on the morning, period dropping to 9 seconds, and energy jumping up to 470 (moderate to strong), but the wind stays cross and the conditions are reported as poor. Monday the 31st is similar – 5 ft, 8-second period – and the onshore chop just kills it.

Then we get a little window. Tuesday the 1st of September morning is a standout in an otherwise flat run. We’ve got 3 ft from the SSE, 9-second period, energy at 197 (moderate), and – here’s the good bit – glassy conditions. Dead calm wind from the NW at 0 km/h. That means clean, smooth surfaces. For a beginner-friendly breakwater like Iluka-North Wall, this is your best bet early on. The swell is small, only 3 ft, so it’s friendly for learners and longboarders. Crowds? They show up here sometimes, so you might have company.

Wednesday the 2nd morning stays small, 2 ft from the SSE, period stretching to 11 seconds, energy 178 (moderate), and a light offshore wind from the NNW. Clean conditions again, but it’s tiny.

From Thursday the 3rd through to Sunday the 6th, the swell drops off to under 3 ft, mostly onshore or cross winds, and the scores are all zeros. Not worth paddling out.

Monday the 7th afternoon brings a surprise – 7 ft from the NE with a 7-second period, energy at 475 (moderate-strong) and a clean cross-offshore wind from the WNW. That’s the biggest swell of the outlook and it’s forecast as good surf. 7 ft is getting into intermediate territory, but for experts, it’s a fun pulse. The period is short, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and won’t hold shape perfectly, but offshore wind should groom it. This is your other standout.

Tuesday the 8th morning is clean with offshore wind again, 4 ft from the NE, but a lot smaller. The rest of the week after that sees building wind and chop from the SSE, with heights around 5 ft to 5 ft but poor conditions. By the time we hit the second weekend (12th and 13th September), it’s back to knee-high slop with onshore breezes.

Overall, the best surf is on Tuesday morning the 1st of September (glassy, clean, small) or Monday afternoon the 7th of September (biggest swell, clean offshore wind). If you want a wave that’s clean and easy, go for the 1st. If you want some push and can handle a bit of short-period chop, chase the 7th.

Rusty.

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