Narrabeen-Alley Rights Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Narrabeen-Alley Rights over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the first week or so is pretty grim. We’ve got a run of tiny, weak swell with poor conditions, and the combined energy barely gets into three digits – just a measly 66 (moderate) on the Tuesday morning, and then it drops back to teeny numbers. The wind is mostly cross-off or glassy, but when the swell is that small – 1ft or 1ft – it’s just not worth paddling out. Wednesday morning picks up a bit of a breeze, but the swell direction is all over the shop and the period is short. It’s a real flat spell.

Thursday and Friday of the first week stay small, with the swell barely registering. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing special. Honestly, the first few days are a write-off for any decent paddle.

We start to see a little more life on the 10th of August – Monday morning. The swell picks up to 3ft from the ENE, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 145 (moderate). The wind is a clean cross-off from the west. Still not a standout, but at least there’s something to push you around. The waves are surfable, but ordinary. The best of this early window is probably the Tuesday morning (11th August) – the swell is 2ft from the ENE, 9 seconds, but the wind is offshore from the WNW at 10 km/h, so it’s clean. The energy is still only 74 (weak), but it’s glassy and you might get a few fun ones if you’re not fussy.

Around the 12th and 13th, the wind turns nasty – southerly cross-onshore, picking up to 35 km/h with rain showers. The swell is small and messy. Forget it.

Now, the big news is later in the run. The 14th of August Friday afternoon shows a jump in swell height to 10ft, but it’s from the SSE with a short period of 8 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s lumpy. The combined energy is 1116 (strong), but the conditions are poor. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a good paddle.

The real standout is the 16th of August Sunday morning. The swell is 15ft from the SSE, with a period of 11 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The combined energy is a massive 4937 (very strong). The wind is glassy, just a slight air from the WNW. This is a big, clean, powerful swell, but it’s too big for beginners – definitely one for experts only. The break is exposed to ENE swell, and this SSE direction isn’t ideal, but with that size and glassy conditions, it’s going to be a serious session. Crowds are likely at this spot, so get there early.

Monday 17th sees the swell dropping to 10ft from the SE, still clean with offshore winds, but the energy is still very strong (1577). It’s big, but clean.

If you’re after the best of the whole forecast, it’s the 16th August Sunday morning. That’s the one to circle. The 11th August Tuesday morning is your best bet if you want something smaller and cleaner in the early days.

Rusty.

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