Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a solid point break set-up on the menu for the next couple of weeks, but you’re gonna have to pick your moments. The pattern kicks off with a bit of a rocky start, but there’s a couple of real gems hiding in there.

The first real action on offer is a Friday morning session at Manly. It’s a clean, clear morning with a light breeze from the WNW, and the swell is coming in at 5 feet from the S with a period of 11 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and it’s bringing a solid 537 (units) of combined energy. The wind is cross-off, which means the waves will be holding up nicely on that point. It’s a bit of a highlight to kick things off, but it’s a beginner-friendly wave, so don’t expect it to be too heavy. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

The weekend isn’t offering much. Saturday morning is a no-go with a cross-on breeze and only 2 feet of weak S swell. Saturday afternoon cleans up, but the swell is tiny. Sunday morning brings a gusty WSW 16 mph offshore wind with 4 feet of short-period SSW swell (7 seconds) – it’s surfable, but the wind is a bit strong for it to be good. The combined energy is 250 (units), which is on the lower side of moderate.

Now, here’s the one that gets me excited. Monday morning, September 7th. It’s glassy. Dead flat calm, a WSW wind at just 3 mph. The swell is 4 feet from the S with an 8-second period, and the combined energy is 227 (units). That glassy surface is the main event here – it’s going to be as clean as it gets. You’ll be trading off a bit of swell power for that perfect, smooth face. If you can get out there, you’ll be grinning.

The surf builds through the middle of the week. Tuesday morning sees a 7 feet SSE swell with 12 mph cross-off wind, and the combined energy ramps up to 572 (units). The period is still short at 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy, but there’s some size. Wednesday afternoon is a write-off with a strong 22 mph S wind.

But hold on. Thursday, September 10th is the big one for the crew with experience. The swell jumps to 10 feet from the S, with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy is massive – 2426 (units) in the morning and 4140 (units) in the afternoon. That is a serious amount of water moving around. The wind is cross-off from the SSE, so the point should handle it, but this is definitely for experts. It’s going to be powerful and heavy.

The swell stays chunky through Friday the 11th with 8 feet to 7 feet S swell, still in the 1000+ (units) energy range. The conditions are clean, but it’s a lot of water.

We get a nice little reprieve on Saturday morning, September 12th. A 5 feet SSE groundswell with a 12-second period, and a light offshore SW wind at 6 mph. The combined energy is 572 (units). This is a sweet spot – clean, offshore, with a nice long period for that point to reel off some proper walls. This is the pick of the second week.

After that, it’s mostly a steep decline. The middle of the second week is a mix of weak, short-period swells and onshore winds. There’s a long gap from around the 13th to the 15th where the surf is just not worth the paddle. The glassy conditions return on Wednesday afternoon, September 16th, with 4 feet of S swell at 11 seconds, but the energy is only 360 (units) and the forecast describes it as ordinary. The final few days of the forecast are a complete washout with strong to near-gale force winds blowing out any chance of a decent wave. Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th are just a mess of onshore wind and rain.

So, the standout windows are clear: Monday morning, September 7th for pristine glass, and Saturday morning, September 12th for the best combo of size, period, and offshore wind. The big Thursday swell on the 10th is for the brave. Don’t hold your breath for the last week of the forecast.

Rusty.

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