Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—this stretch for Manly (Southern NSW) is a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, it’s a long wait for anything that’ll get you truly frothing. The start of the period is pretty grim, with a lot of poor surf and iffy winds. We’ve got a few windows of clean, fun-sized waves, but they’re not exactly firing. The best of the lot looks like it’ll be Thursday the 27th morning and then a standout glassy Monday the 31st morning, so let’s get into it.

We kick off Wednesday the 26th with onshore wind and rain, and the surf is just a mess. Not worth paddling out. Thursday the 27th though, things start to look up. The morning brings a 6ft south swell, period 9 seconds, and even though the wind is cross-off from the S at 10 km/h, the water’s clean. The energy’s moderate (641), so it’s got some push. It’s a point break, so it should offer some fun lines, but it’s a beginner spot and crowds are often here. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild. That morning is your first real chance for a decent session.

Friday the 28th morning keeps the good vibes going—5ft from the SSE with a longer 11-second period, wind is light WSW at 5 km/h, so it’s clean. That’s a solid groundswell, 720 energy, and it’ll wrap in nicely. The afternoon gets a bit choppy with an onshore breeze, so make the most of the early.

Saturday the 29th morning is clean again, 5ft SSE swell, 10 seconds, and light S wind. Moderate energy at 630, but it’s surfable. Sunday the 30th morning is glassy, but the swell drops to 3ft and the conditions are just ordinary—not gonna set the world on fire.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday the 31st morning. Glassy as glass, with the wind from the W at 5 km/h. The swell is only 4ft, but it’s from the south with a massive 17-second period (892 energy). That’s a very long period groundswell, which means good shaped waves, long gaps between sets, and it’s a point break so it’ll handle that beautifully. For a surfer who wants quality over size, this is the morning to clear your schedule. The afternoon turns onshore, so it’s a limited window.

After that, the surf goes downhill fast. Tuesday the 1st of September through to the end of the forecast period is mostly poor surf, small waves, and a lot of onshore or cross-shore wind. We’ve got a gap of many days with nothing to recommend. There’s a blip on Sunday the 6th with a 7ft south swell, but it’s short period (7 seconds) and cross-shore wind, making it a messy, choppy mess—more fun for kites than paddles. The 10th of September has a 8ft south swell, but again, it’s marginal and the wind is cross-off; it’s a bit too big for beginners, and the quality isn’t there.

So, to wrap it up: Thursday the 27th morning is your first decent session, but the absolute best is Monday the 31st morning with that glassy, long-period groundswell. Don’t sleep on it. The rest of the window is mostly a write-off, so pick your moment and get out there.

Rusty.

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