Narrabeen-South Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch at Narrabeen-South ain’t bringing much to get excited about. The swell energy barely gets a pulse going, with combined energy values mostly sitting in the weak to moderate range (between 25 and 667), and for the most part, the wind and conditions are just working against us. There’s no real standout week of surf here; it’s a long, drawn-out run of small, messy, or blown-out waves, with only a few fleeting windows where it’s even worth a paddle.

We kick off Monday the 17th of August with rain showers and a light easterly cross-on breeze chopping up a small 3ft south swell (225 combined energy). It’s marginal at best. Tuesday the 18th is even worse – poor conditions with onshore wind and tiny waves. Wednesday the 19th morning is the first hint of something decent: glassy conditions with a light south-west offshore wind, but the swell is only 2ft from the ESE at a mediocre 10-second period (170 combined energy). It’s surfable but very ordinary. The afternoon gets blown out by a stiff north-easterly. Thursday and Friday are more of the same – small, weak, and mostly messy. Saturday the 22nd morning sees a clean offshore breeze from the WSW, but the swell drops to a pathetic 2ft from the NE (29 combined energy) – maybe a longboard crawl.

Sunday the 23rd morning offers another glassy window with a WNW breeze and a tiny 2ft NE swell at 8 seconds (50 combined energy). Again, it’s only just surfable. Monday the 24th morning has a clean cross-off wind and a 2ft south swell (149 combined energy), but it’s still pretty average. The real tease comes on Tuesday the 25th – the swell bumps up to 6ft from the SSE (590 combined energy), which is approaching the big end for beginners, but the wind is a light north-westerly cross-shore, creating small crossing ripples. The conditions are marginal, and the quality just isn’t there for a proper session. Wednesday the 26th through to Friday the 28th bring stronger winds – fresh to strong breezes from the west and south-west – so you get clean, offshore conditions at times, but the swell is small (mostly under 4ft) and the combined energy drops off (340 down to 133). It’s clean but weak.

The last few days of August and into September 1st are a write-off: tiny swell, poor wind, and very low energy. There’s no single day that stands out as a proper score. If you’re desperate, the glassy Wednesday 19th morning or the clean Sunday 23rd morning might get you a few grovelly rides on a longboard, but don’t expect any power. For this stretch, the water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

So, honestly, I’d look at this as a window to rest the arms and do something else. It’s a long, flat, and frustrating run – but it won’t stay like this forever, and the forecasts can always shift. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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