Narrabeen-Alley Rights Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Narrabeen-Alley Rights over the next 16 days is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of very small, weak swell with poor conditions, and only a couple of moments that might get the heart beating for the experienced crew. The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first few days are a write-off. From Tuesday, 4 August through to Friday, 8 August, the swell is tiny – under 2 ft – with combined wave energy barely reaching 65 (weak). The winds are mostly cross-off or glassy, which would normally be a major positive, but there’s just not enough wave to ride. The best of that period is Saturday morning, 8 August, with a 2 ft SSE swell, period 9 seconds, and light WSW cross-off winds making for clean conditions, but the wave comment says it’s surfable but very ordinary. Still, if you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your window.

Then Sunday, 9 August, sees a slight bump: the swell lifts to 2 ft from the ENE by morning, period 9 seconds, with a moderate 116 energy (moderate). The wind is from the north at 9 mph, cross-off, and conditions are clean. It’s still not great, but it’s the first real sign of life. By Monday, 10 August, the morning brings a 3 ft ENE swell, period 10 seconds, energy 179 (moderate), but with a fresh WNW wind at 19 mph, it’s cross-off and clean – just not enough quality to get excited about.

The real standout comes on Friday, 14 August, and it’s a big one. The morning session sees a 10 ft SSE swell, period 9 seconds, with a massive 1313 energy (strong). The wind is from the SW at 9 mph, gentle cross-shore, and the conditions are clean. But here’s the catch: this is Narrabeen-Alley Rights, an advanced break, and 10 ft is well over the 8 ft mark – this is only for experts. The swell is coming from the SSE, which matches the optimum direction of ENE? Not a perfect match, but it’s still a powerful groundswell that’ll be dumping hard on the beach/sandbar. The wave comment says it’s predicted to be too big for this break, so this is a serious, heavy, and dangerous session. Crowds are often here, so expect a few of the local chargers out. Saturday morning, 15 August, still has a solid 6 ft SSE swell, period 8 seconds, energy 415 (moderate), with gentle cross-shore winds, but it’s a lot more manageable and maybe more surfable, though still only for the advanced crew.

After that, the swell drops off and the winds get messy. From Sunday, 16 August, onward, we’re back to onshore winds and choppy conditions, with swell around 5 ft to 6 ft from the SE and ESE, but it’s all cross-on or onshore, with periods dropping to 8-9 seconds. The energy stays moderate (357 to 698), but the quality is poor. Monday, 17 August, sees a 5 ft ESE swell, period 12 seconds, energy 698 (moderate), but with a fresh S wind at 19 mph, it’s cross-on and lumpy – not worth the effort.

So, the only true standout is Friday, 14 August morning, for the expert crew who can handle big, heavy beach-break surf. If you’re not in that league, give it a miss. The rest of the window is mostly small, weak, or blown out. Sometimes it’s like this – the forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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