Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here, checking in with the local outlook for Manly.

First up, it’s gonna be a real slow start. For the first several days, we’re looking at a pretty flat spell with nothing worth paddling out for. The ocean is just not giving us much to work with through to the middle of next week. You’ll be waiting until Thursday the 13th of August before the energy levels start to build into something we can actually ride.

Let’s get into it.

That first real glimmer of hope comes on the morning of Thursday the 13th. A clean, moderate offshore from the southwest will groom a 6ft swell coming from the southwest, with moderate combined energy (400). The conditions will be good, but it's a short period swell at 8 seconds, so don’t expect much grunt. This one is for the experienced crew – anything over 5ft is pushing it for beginners. The crowd situation is likely to be an issue though, as Manly is often busy.

The standout session, and the best on offer, is hands down the morning of Friday the 14th of August. We’ve got a solid 10ft south swell rolling in, with a very strong combined wave energy (2873). The wind will be a light cross-off from the WNW, keeping the faces clean. This is big, powerful groundswell with a 10-second period, so only experienced surfers should even think about it. The water temperature is sitting at a normal 63°, which is about what you’d expect for this time of year.

Saturday the 15th keeps the momentum going. The morning sees a 5ft SSE swell, but it’s a bit messy with a cross-off wind. The afternoon, however, is a beauty: a gentle offshore from the WSW cleans up a 6ft SSE swell, making for a solid afternoon session with moderate energy (484). Good conditions.

After that peak, the surf settles down for the second week. The morning of Monday the 17th offers a small, clean 4ft SSE swell with a gentle offshore, but the period is short at 7 seconds. It’s ridable, but nothing to get excited about. Beyond that, the forecast is a lot of small, weak surf with poor conditions and onshore winds right through to the end of the outlook on the 21st. There’s nothing else that really stands out as a goer.

So to wrap it up: don’t bother this week. Wait for the windows on Thursday the 13th, and definitely get out there for the main event on the morning of Friday the 14th. Saturday afternoon is a good backup.

Rusty.

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