National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s comin’ our way. We’ve got a mixed bag over the next two weeks, with a few standout windows that are worth paddling out for, but plenty of flat spells in between.

The first real surfable swells don’t turn up until Sunday the 2nd of August. We’ve got a slow start, so don’t bother checking the water before then. The water temp is sitting at 69°F, which is about 1°F cooler than the long-term average for this time of year – so it’s feeling pretty normal, nothin’ wild.

The pick of the entire forecast is Monday morning, the 3rd of August at National Park (point). That’s when we see a solid clean-up. Swell comes in at 3ft from the SE, but the period stretches out to 13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is moderate (553), so you’ll feel the push. Winds are light offshore from the SSE at 9 mph, keeping it glassy. This is a long-period swell, so expect longer lulls between sets, but the waves will have shape and push. The optimum swell direction for this spot is ENE, so the SE direction is a little off, but the quality of the swell and the offshore wind make up for it. The crowd situation is listed as “often”, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

Sunday the 2nd is also decent, with a 5ft swell from the ESE in the morning, but the period is only 7 seconds – that’s short-period windswell, not as powerful. Winds are offshore though, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy is moderate (273). Afternoon drops to 5ft but still clean.

After Monday, the swell drops off quick. Tuesday the 4th sees small 3ft surf with glassy conditions in the morning, but it’s weak energy (147). Wednesday is marginal, with a small 3ft E swell and cross-onshore winds. From Thursday the 6th through to the 9th, it’s really small – mostly 2ft to 3ft, with weak energy and light offshore winds, but nothing to get excited about. There’s a gap of a few days where the surf is just ordinary.

We get a little bump around the 10th and 11th, but conditions are mixed. Winds are cross-offshore or cross, and the swell stays small. Then from the 12th, it’s pretty poor again.

Now, into the second week, things get interesting again. On Thursday the 13th of August, a longer-period ESE swell shows up at 5ft and 12 seconds, but the wind is howling onshore from the WNW at 12 mph. That’s gonna be a mess – the combined energy is strong (546), but the wind will chop it up. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. By Friday the 14th, the wind drops to glassy conditions in the morning with a 3ft ESE swell at 12 seconds. The energy is moderate (299) and the conditions are clean. That’s a solid morning session, but the swell is starting to fade. Saturday the 15th is similar, with 3ft clean waves, but the energy is dropping.

Overall, the best on offer is Monday morning the 3rd of August. After that, keep an eye on Friday the 14th for a clean glassy session with some decent groundswell. Don’t expect anything epic in the second week, but there are a few fun windows.

Rusty.

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