Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the waves ahead. To be honest, the next week and a half is gonna be a bit of a grind for surf. There are plenty of days where you’ll see some lines on the beach, but they’re mostly going to be small, short-period, and blown around by the wind. We’ve got a bit of a waiting game on our hands.

The water temp is sitting at 63°F, which is about normal for this time of year. So, grab the full wetsuit still.

We start with nothing much going on. Thursday the 20th is pretty poor, with weak, choppy NE windswell around 4ft at a short 6 seconds. Friday the 21st isn’t any better, with dribbly little waves in the morning and a cross-shore chop messing it up in the arvo. The weekend looks flat and clean, but there’s basically nothing to ride. Saturday the 22nd is tiny, and Sunday the 23rd has a little bump of 3ft from the south, but it’s weak and there’s not enough energy behind it to make it worthwhile.

The start of the next week is still pretty quiet. Monday the 24th has a similar small S swell, but the onshore wind will make it messy. Tuesday the 25th is more of the same, with onshore and cross-onshore winds and a weak NE windswell. This is a real flat patch, a good week of not much to get excited about.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 26th is the standout of the whole forecast. The swell is building fast, reaching a solid 10ft by the morning with a moderate offshore SW wind. The combined energy is strong at 1141, and that’s going to pump. It’s a big, powerful S groundswell with a period of 8 seconds. This is definitely a day for experienced surfers only – anything over 8ft is expert territory. The morning looks excellent, though the wind might start to howl a bit in the afternoon. Don’t even think about pointing a beginner down the point on this day.

Thursday the 27th is still fun, with a drop to 4ft but still some clean offshore lines to be had. After that, the wind swings around and it seems we just can’t catch a break. Friday the 28th and the weekend of the 29th and 30th are all poor, with a mix of onshore and strong cross-offshore winds on small, short-period swell. The water is going to be bumpy, and the waves are just not going to have any push.

The forecast calms down into the second week. There are a few glimmers—like Monday the 31st with some clean 3ft S swell—but honestly, it’s all pretty marginal. We get a couple of glassy mornings on Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd of September with small, clean waves, but nothing that will get your heart racing. The long-period energy that shows up toward the end of the week, like the 18-second period on Friday the 4th, is just too inconsistent and weak to be any good.

So, the main takeaway: the big, powerful, clean surf is going to be on Wednesday the 26th of August. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. Everything before that is a waiting game, and everything after is a bit of a let-down. Keep your eye on that Wednesday, it’ll be worth the wait.

Rusty out.

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