Narrabeen-Alley Rights Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s cut to the chase for Narrabeen-Alley Rights. This beach/sandbar is usually consistent, but for the next week and a half, it’s looking pretty grim. The swell is weak, the wind is mostly onshore, and the water temps are pretty standard for this time of year. It’s going to be a test of patience, that’s for sure.

Sunday, August 16 is a right-off. Onshore SE winds at 12 mph, pushing a 6ft SSE swell with a short 6-second period. It's messy and fat, with moderate energy (242). You’d be stuck in the washing machine. The afternoon eases to 5ft, but it’s still sloppy.

Monday, August 17 and Tuesday, August 18 stay poor. Swell drops to around 3ft, but the wind stays easterly and cross-onshore, keeping it bumpy. Energy is weak (95 down to 86), and the period is only 6-7 seconds. Nothing to ride.

We get a break on Wednesday morning, August 19. The wind goes glassy with a light N air, and we’ve got a 4ft ESE swell. It’s surfable, but nothing special. Energy is moderate (180). The afternoon cleans up with a light cross-offshore, but the swell drops to 2ft, with a longer 10-second period. It’s clean, but tiny.

Thursday, August 20 morning is still clean with a light cross-offshore, but the swell fades to 3ft. The energy is weak (74). It’s a dribble. The afternoon turns to mush as NE winds pick up to 12 mph, making it choppy.

Friday, August 21 morning sees a slight lift. A light NW offshore wind cleans up a 4ft ENE swell. Still only moderate energy (102) and a 7-second period. The best of a bad bunch, but still ordinary. The afternoon gets blown out by a fresh NNW wind at 18 mph.

Saturday, August 22 is another write-off. Swell drops to 3ft ENE, but the winds are all over the place, with a moderate WSW cross-off in the morning and a choppy SSE cross-on in the afternoon.

From Sunday, August 23 through Wednesday, August 26, it's basically flat. Swell heights are down at 0.7ft to 1ft. There’s no energy, no push, and the readings are in the single digits and low twenties. The winds are mostly clean, but there’s simply nothing to ride. This is a serious lull.

Now, here’s where it gets good. On Thursday morning, August 27, we finally see some real swell. A pulse of SSE swell arrives, pushing 4ft with a longer 11-second period. The combined energy jumps up to 403, which is strong. The wind is a moderate WSW cross-off, keeping it clean. It’s described as marginal, but with this much juice after a drought, it might be worth a paddle. The afternoon gets a bit wild with a fresh WSW wind at 22 mph, so the morning is the play.

Friday, August 28 still has some of that SSE swell, around 3ft, but the energy is dropping. It’s clean in the morning, but turns onshore and sloppy in the afternoon.

But the real standout is Saturday morning, August 29. We’ve got a fresh pulse of NE swell, 5ft, with a moderate 7-second period. The energy reads a solid 485 – that’s the strongest of the whole run. The wind is light from the W, making it a clean cross-off. This is the day. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” Circle this one. With this kind of size and clean faces, it’s going to have some punch, even if it might be a bit sectiony on the sandbar.

The afternoon on Saturday gets a bit mushy with a light cross-on, and the swell eases to 4ft. Sunday, August 30 and Monday, August 31 fade back to the 3ft range with onshore and cross-shore winds.

So, to wrap up: The next week is a dead loss. But if you’re keen, keep an eye on the 27th, and definitely be on the beach for the morning of Saturday the 29th. That’s the one with the size and the clean conditions.

Rusty.

Read more