National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what National Park (Point) has in store. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a few windows worth paddling out for.

Right now, we’re looking at a bit of a slow start. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th have some tiny knee-high waves around 2ft from the east, with a short period of 9 seconds. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but the energy is weak (53). It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about. The water is sitting at 68°, which is a bit colder than what we’d normally expect for this time of year.

Saturday the 15th stays small and clean, but still nothing really pushing through. Then we hit a gap. Sunday the 16th morning sees a jump in size to 6ft southeast swell, but the period drops to a very short 6 seconds, and the wind is a fresh 30 km/h cross-offshore. That’s messy, and the energy rating (312) isn’t enough to save it. That afternoon improves a touch into the moderate offshore range, but it’s still not great.

Monday the 17th brings a bigger, steeper swell – 8ft from the east-southeast with a 7-second period and fresh offshore wind, pushing the energy up to 663. This is getting into expert-only territory for size, and the short period means it’ll be a bit fat and sectiony. The best of the whole run starts to shape up on Tuesday the 18th. That morning we’ve got a 8ft east-southeast swell with an 8-second period, clean offshore wind, and solid energy (763). That’s the standout. It’s a powerful, clean point break session for confident surfers. The afternoon stays decent but drops off a little.

From Wednesday the 19th through Friday the 21st, the swell settles into a more manageable 4ft to 5ft range, mostly from the east with offshore or light cross-off winds. The energy stays moderate to solid (between 347 and 455). This is where intermediate surfers will find their groove – especially Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st mornings when the wind is light and clean. The period stretches back to 9 seconds on Friday morning, giving the waves a bit more shape.

A quiet gap opens up over the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd. Saturday the 22nd has onshore wind and small 4ft swell, not worth it. Sunday the 23rd morning looks interesting with glassy conditions and 4ft east swell (period 9 seconds), but the wave quality is marginal. Energy is low (215). After that, the last week of the forecast sees the swell drop back to under 3ft, with inconsistent winds and very weak energy, often below 100. The 28th of August has a tiny 2ft east swell and light cross-off wind, but it’s really just a board-floating session.

Overall, the best bet is Tuesday the 18th morning for experienced surfers who can handle the size, and then Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st mornings for the rest of us looking for clean, solid head-high waves with good offshore wind. Keep an eye on that Tuesday window – it’s got the most power and the cleanest conditions of the whole run.

Rusty.

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