National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Things are looking pretty quiet to start, with a few days of small, weak surf before we get a proper pulse. The first real window of interest kicks off on Wednesday the 9th of September, with a small but clean SE swell pushing in. The combined wave energy is moderate (183), and with a light offshore wind from the SSE, it’ll be clean. But the waves are only around 3 ft, so it’s not going to be anything special.

The real standout is going to be a couple of big, powerful days. On Thursday the 10th of September, the swell jumps up, but it gets messy. The morning sees a 8 ft SSE swell with a short period of 6 seconds and a fresh 35 km/h offshore wind. The combined energy is strong (433), but the swell is too short-period and big for the break to handle well. The afternoon, however, is a different beast. The swell hits 10 ft from the SE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is very strong (1047). The wind is offshore from the SE at 35 km/h. This is big, powerful, and the offshore wind will keep it clean. But it’s only for experts. This is a big, powerful wave that will be too much for most.

Following that, the better, more manageable surfing comes later. The second standout is on Friday the 18th of September. The afternoon brings a 6 ft SE swell with a very long period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is very strong (1012). The wind is offshore from the SE at 20 km/h. This is a long-period groundswell, which will wrap in nicely at National Park, a point break. The conditions will be clean and powerful, and the longer period means better shaped waves and longer lulls between sets. This is the best day on offer for experienced surfers.

Saturday the 19th of September is also excellent. The morning sees a 7 ft SE swell, also with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is very strong (1234). The wind is light and cross-off from the SSE. This is another day for the experienced crew, with big, clean, long-period waves. The afternoon drops to 5 ft, still with a 12-second period and clean, so it’s a good option for the less gung-ho.

The water temperature is around 69°, which is about 2° cooler than average for this time of year, so it’s not unusual. Expect a few others in the water at National Park, as it can get often crowded.

The first week is a bit of a write-off with small, weak surf. The second week holds the real promise. The big, long-period swell on the 18th and 19th is the one to circle on the calendar. For the rest of the period, it’s mostly small and clean, but nothing to get excited about.

Rusty.

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