Surf Forecasts:
Manly surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, S swell with 3,168 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period with SSE 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. 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 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Manly over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for Manly.
First off, the water temp is sitting at 64° right now, which is pretty average for this time of year, so nothing to write home about.
We’ve got a rough start. The next few days are a write-off. Big southerly swell hits Wednesday afternoon with a solid 12 feet at 10 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 2649 – that’s serious power. Problem is the wind is howling from the south at 25 mph, making it a messy cross-off. Not for the faint-hearted. Thursday keeps that sizey 10-foot swell but the wind is still ugly from the SSW. The surf quality is poor across both days.
We finally get a window on Friday, September 18th morning. The swell drops to a much friendlier 5 feet from the south, but the real story is the wind: glassy, from the WNW at just 3 mph. Absolute perfection for a point break like Manly. The wave energy is moderate at 437, making it manageable. This is the standout of the whole period. For a beginner-friendly spot like this, that’s clean, peaky surf.
After that, it’s a long, bleak stretch. From Friday afternoon right through to the end of September, it’s a mix of weak, messy, onshore slop. Swell sizes hover around 2 to 3 feet for days on end, often with onshore winds from the north or northeast. There’s a nasty long-period 19-second south swell on the 20th, but it’s running straight into an onshore NE breeze – total disaster for a beach break setup. The combined energy stays weak to moderate, rarely pushing above 500. It’s just not worth paddling out.
We get a flicker of hope on Thursday, October 1st morning. A south swell of 6 feet at 11 seconds, combined energy of 900 – that’s moderate to strong. The wind is light from the northwest at 3 mph, giving us a cross-shore, glassy surface. The direction is S, and Manly’s optimum is SE, so it’s a bit off, but for a point break, that period (11 seconds) will wrap in nicely. This is your second best option for the whole outlook, but it’s over a week away, so treat it as promising but not locked in.
Overall, if you’re itching for a wave, your only real shot is Friday morning (September 18) at Manly. The rest is a long, flat, windy gap of about 12 days. That’s a tough run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Warm (max 28°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, strong winds from the SSE by Mon morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 10 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 16 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 19 | S 18 | S 18 | S 13 | S 13 | SSE 9 | S 12 | S 11 | S 19 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2633 | 3168 | 1614 | 826 | 453 | 325 | 299 | 188 | 116 | 81 | 47 | 273 | 678 | 325 | 316 | 326 | 493 | 264 | 434 | 263 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on |
High Tide | 11:45PM0.98m | 12:02PM1.31m | 00:41AM0.90m | 12:58PM1.25m | 1:55AM0.85m | 2:06PM1.22m | 3:20AM0.85m | 3:17PM1.23m | 4:28AM0.90m | 4:18PM1.27m | 5:18AM0.97m | 5:08PM1.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:55PM0.37m | 5:22AM0.45m | 6:55PM0.43m | 6:06AM0.53m | 8:07PM0.47m | 7:07AM0.58m | 9:23PM0.47m | 8:26AM0.60m | 10:27PM0.43m | 9:42AM0.57m | 11:15PM0.36m | 10:42AM0.51m | 11:53PM0.29m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  |  |  | |
 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — |
 | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 28 | 28 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 28 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 5 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 13 | NE 13 | E 13 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 18 | S 11 | S 13 | S 13 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 11 | S 8 |
| kJ | 16 | 7 | 3 | 826 | 453 | 325 | 299 | 171 | 116 | 81 | 47 | 244 | 678 | 185 | 316 | 326 | 493 | 172 | 434 | 109 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 19 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 16 | S 17 | S 15 | S 18 | SSE 5 | S 8 | S 18 | NE 4 | E 11 | S 12 | S 12 | S 18 | SE 6 |
| kJ | — | — | 7 | 3 | 3 | 54 | 53 | 188 | 92 | 38 | 25 | 19 | 82 | 325 | 3 | 2 | 141 | 264 | 60 | 36 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 19 | S 19 | S 18 | S 18 | SE 7 | S 14 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | S 19 | S 12 | NE 4 | E 12 | — | S 18 | S 20 | E 11 | S 19 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 7 | 7 | 58 | 96 | 25 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 273 | 67 | 8 | 3 | — | 24 | 30 | 2 | 263 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | — | SSW 5 | — | NE 4 | — | NNE 4 | SSE 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2633 | 3168 | 1614 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | 33 | — | 14 | — | 5 | 64 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 725 | 105 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 393 | 63 | 35 | 7 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sydney North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Manly surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest