Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got coming up for Manly. I’ll be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with barely a wave worth paddling for. The first solid chance doesn’t even show up until the morning of Wednesday the 19th, and even then, it’s not exactly firing.

That Wednesday morning, the 19th, we’ve got a tiny 2-foot swell from the ESE with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 196, but don’t let that fool you. The wind is glassy from the NNE, so the surface will be clean, but the waves are small and weak. It’s surfable, but only just. You’d be on a longboard or a foamie, and even then, you’d be scratching for anything. This is beginner territory at best.

From there, it’s a dead zone. Thursday the 20th through to Monday the 24th is all poor surf conditions. The swell drops to almost nothing, the periods get short and choppy, and the wind is all over the place. There’s nothing to recommend. Honestly, it’s frustrating to watch.

Then we get a tiny glimmer on Tuesday morning the 25th. Another “surfable but ordinary” session with a 2-foot swell from the S at 9 seconds. The wind is light offshore from the WSW, so it’ll be clean, but the energy is still weak (134). Again, it’s a longboard-only situation. Wednesday the 26th is a write-off with strong winds, and Thursday the 27th sees the swell bump up to 5 feet from the SE with 8-second period and moderate energy of 387, but the wind is onshore, making it a mess.

Friday the 28th morning is the last “surfable but ordinary” mention. A 3-foot SE swell with 9-second period, light offshore wind from the W, and energy of 208. It’s clean, but the waves are uninspiring.

Now, the real kicker comes Saturday the 29th. We get a big 12-foot swell from the SSE with an 8-second period and a massive energy reading of 1999. That sounds huge, but the wind is a screaming 28 mph from the SSE, making it a complete washing machine. The conditions are listed as poor, and with that size and wind, this is strictly for experts, and even then, it looks more like a kite surfing day than a paddle session. Same goes for Sunday the 30th with 7-foot swell and strong onshore winds.

The rest of the run into early September is a mix of poor surf and clean but tiny waves. Wednesday the 2nd morning offers a 2-foot ENE swell with 8-second period and light offshore wind from the SSW, energy of 103. It’s clean, but tiny. Thursday the 3rd morning is similar with a 2-foot ENE swell at 11-second period, light offshore wind from the SW, and energy of 129. Again, clean but barely surfable.

The best on offer? Honestly, the standout is probably the Wednesday morning the 19th or the Tuesday morning the 25th, but they’re both weak and tiny. There’s no big, clean, powerful swell on the horizon. The only big swell comes with evil wind. It’s a rough outlook.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the charts. It can’t stay this quiet forever.

Rusty.

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