Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I won’t sugarcoat it – the next 16 days at Manly (Manly) are a real mixed bag, and we’re in for a long wait before anything decent shows up. The first week is mostly a write-off, but there are a couple of windows that’ll get the blood pumping if you’re patient, especially for the experienced crew.

Right now and through the weekend, we’ve got a dribble of small, weak south swell, but the wind is a shocker – onshore and gusty. Saturday morning is the only bright spot early: a clean, glassy 4 ft south swell with a solid 12-second period and moderate energy (621). The water’s sitting at 64°, which is about average for this time of year. It’s a tiny window though, because by Saturday arvo the wind swings east-northeast at 12 mph and the quality nosedives. Sunday and Monday are all onshore slop, so don’t bother.

Tuesday the 15th offers a bit of hope early with a clean offshore wind from the southwest at 12 mph, but the swell is a pathetic 3 ft from the northeast with a short 7-second period and weak energy (128). It’s surfable, but it’s ordinary at best – not worth getting wet for unless you’re desperate.

Now, Wednesday the 16th is where things get interesting, but only for the experts. A big, raw south swell pumps in, hitting 12 ft in the morning with a 9-second period and strong energy (1901). By the afternoon, it bumps up to 15 ft from the south, 10-second period, and the energy goes nuts (4108). The wind is offshore to cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, but this is serious, powerful stuff – well over 8 ft, so it’s expert-only territory. Thursday the 17th keeps the size up around 10-12 ft with clean cross-offshore wind, but the energy drops a bit (1392-2209). Still, for the big-wave chargers, this is the standout of the entire outlook. The swell direction from the south is a solid match for Manly, and with those clean conditions, it’s going to be a proper session if you’ve got the stones.

Friday the 18th sees the swell drop back to 5 ft from the east-southeast with a longer 11-second period, but the morning is cross-shore and weak (871) – not great. Saturday the 19th morning is another tease: clean and glassy with 5 ft from the east-southeast, 11-second period, and moderate energy (573). It’s a good opportunity for a fun, clean surf, but the afternoon wind ruins it again.

After that, we’re into a flat spell. Sunday the 20th through Monday the 21st is just tiny, weak windswell under 3 ft – barely worth a paddle. Then on Tuesday the 22nd, another pulse of south swell hits 12 ft with 9-second period and strong energy (2127), but the wind is cross-shore and messy, making it marginal at best. The following days are all onshore or weak junk, with nothing to get excited about.

So, the standout is clearly Wednesday the 16th through Thursday the 17th – that’s the big south swell with clean offshore winds. If you’re an expert, that’s your window. For everyone else, Saturday morning the 12th or Saturday morning the 19th offer the cleanest, most manageable waves, but they’re small and fleeting. Don’t hold your breath for the rest.

Rusty.

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