Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let's talk about what's coming our way for the Manly stretch.

Right now, the surf is a bit of a mixed bag. We've got a solid pulse of swell hitting Wednesday morning, with waves pushing 8ft from the SE, but the wind is a cross-off from the S at 12 mph. The water temp is sitting at a pretty average 64°, so nothing unusual there. The overall energy is strong, clocking in at 1839, but the quality is being held back by the wind and some tricky tide conditions. It's surfable, but not the cleanest, and the Southerly winds are making things a little lumpy.

Heading into Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th, the swell eases a bit, dropping to around 5-6ft. But the wind turns offshore from the SSW and SW, which is a big plus. This is where we'll see some cleaner, better-shaped waves, especially on the Thursday morning when you get that light offshore breeze. The energy is moderate (887 and then 528), but don't let that fool you – the quality will be much nicer. These will be the better, more manageable days for the less experienced crew.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Saturday the 11th right through to the 16th, the surf is pretty poor. We're looking at small, weak waves under 3ft, often with messy cross-shore or onshore winds. There's a tiny pulse on the 16th with 7ft, but the wind is howling offshore at 25 mph, which will make it incredibly hard to paddle into and frankly, a bit of a chore. Honestly, for about five or six days, you're better off leaving the board in the car.

Now, the second week starts to wake up. We get some more solid swell around the 18th, with 7ft from the ESE, but it’s still considered marginal. The real standout is shaping up for Thursday the 23rd of July. We're looking at a powerful 10ft S swell with a long 11-second period, and it's coming with a clean offshore wind from the WSW (12 mph). The combined energy is a huge 2629. This is big, groundswell energy dumping into the point. This will be an expert-only session – it's going to be heavy, powerful, and not for the faint of heart. It's the one day that looks truly special, but only if you know what you're doing.

The following afternoon on the 23rd, it even bumps up to 12ft from the S with a 13-second period – massive energy (4726). The wind holds clean, but the crowd factor at Manly is often a thing, so just be ready for that if you're paddling out.

So, the story is simple: a few decent, clean days this Thursday and Friday, then a long flat spell, and finally a big, powerful event for the experts on Thursday the 23rd.

- Rusty

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