
Surf Forecasts:
Manly surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, S swell with 3,232 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 6s period with NE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Manly this week:
The surf forecast for Manly over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Manly in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Manly over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Manly over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag with a whole lot of ordinary days to sift through, but there are a couple of moments where things line up nicely.
Right now and for the next several days, it’s pretty slim pickings. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore through the weekend and into early next week, with small, short-period swell – around 2ft to 4ft from the south or northeast – but the conditions just aren’t there. You’re looking at choppy, messy surfaces or light wind ripples, and the overall wave energy stays weak to moderate (values between 48 and 444). Nothing worth paddling out for, honestly.
Things start to get interesting mid-week. On Wednesday the 16th, we’ve got a solid pulse of south swell pushing in: 10ft early, building to 13ft in the afternoon, with a moderate 9-10 second period. That’s some proper energy – combined energy readings of 1595 and 2938, so the ocean will have some weight behind it. The wind swings offshore (SSW), so that’s clean, but those sizes are for experienced surfers only. Beginners, sit this one out. Thursday the 17th keeps the energy going with 8ft to 10ft south swell, same clean conditions cross-off, but still big and powerful.
After that, it fades fast. Friday the 18th drops off to 3ft with onshore wind again, and the following days are mostly small, weak, and messy through the rest of the period. There’s a brief moment on Saturday the 19th morning where a bit of ESE swell (3ft, 11 second period) lines up with a light westerly cross-off – that’s surfable but very ordinary, and energy is only 386. Not a standout.
For the standout, it’s got to be Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th. The biggest swell of the window, clean conditions thanks to the offshore flow, and plenty of power. Manly is a sheltered point break, and this south swell hits it at an optimum angle (SE), so it should wrap in nicely. Just be aware: with waves over 8ft, this is expert territory. And with crowds noted as “often”, there will be plenty of company. Water temp is 63°F, which is about 1°F below the norm – pretty average for this time of year, nothing to shock you.
If you’re looking for anything after that, the weekend of the 20th onwards is flat or tiny with poor winds. The 26th (Saturday morning) has a glassy moment but only 3ft of weak, short-period NE swell – not enough to get excited about.
So, in short: big south swell mid-week is the real deal, but it’s for the brave. The rest of the 16-day run? Mostly wait-and-see.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Sun afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Wed afternoon, light winds from the NNW by Fri morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
279 | 158 | 181 | 181 | 175 | 123 | 81 | 172 | 67 | 36 | 776 | 1555 | 2923 | 2931 | 1314 | 1040 | 373 | 163 | 104 | 186 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:56PM1.47m | 9:22AM1.44m | 9:37PM1.35m | 9:59AM1.45m | 10:17PM1.22m | 10:36AM1.42m | 10:59PM1.09m | 11:16AM1.37m | 11:45PM0.98m | 12:02PM1.31m | 00:41AM0.90m | 12:58PM1.25m | 1:55AM0.85m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:09AM0.12m | 3:33PM0.18m | 3:41AM0.19m | 4:18PM0.23m | 4:13AM0.28m | 5:04PM0.29m | 4:46AM0.37m | 5:55PM0.37m | 5:22AM0.45m | 6:55PM0.43m | 6:06AM0.53m | 8:07PM0.47m | ||||||||
— | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | |
5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 11 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 14 | ENE 12 | ENE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 10 |
279 | 158 | 181 | 181 | 141 | 56 | 81 | 101 | 67 | 36 | 11 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 373 | 163 | 104 | 186 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | S 20 | NE 5 | ENE 13 | S 12 | S 11 | ENE 13 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | ENE 13 | ENE 14 | — | — | ENE 13 | S 19 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 9 |
142 | 121 | 20 | 17 | 175 | 123 | 16 | 48 | 29 | 15 | 18 | 20 | — | — | 17 | 7 | 126 | 126 | 79 | 120 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 14 | ENE 13 | S 17 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | — | ENE 12 | NE 13 | ENE 13 | S 17 | — | — | — | — | S 15 | E 13 | E 12 | ESE 10 | S 17 |
19 | 16 | 49 | 17 | 17 | 17 | — | 15 | 6 | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 147 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 3 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NNE 6 | — | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSW 4 | S 6 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | — | WNW 2 | ENE 3 | NNE 4 |
4 | 31 | 29 | 47 | 222 | — | 54 | 172 | 15 | 56 | 776 | 1555 | 2923 | 2931 | 1314 | 1040 | — | 1 | 4 | 9 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 3 | 4 | 503 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 12 | 113 | 105 | 843 | 725 | 185 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 73 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sydney North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Manly Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Manly provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Manly can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Manly surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Manly) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Manly may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Manly is 6 km (4 miles) from Dee Why. If you plan a holiday in Sydney North Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Dee Why. Dee Why has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.









