National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at this forecast for National Park.

We’re kicking off with a bit of a slow start. The first few days aren't much to write home about. Sunday morning is tiny with a weak 2ft ESE swell, and the wind is a fresh cross-off from the SSE. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is a touch cooler than usual for this time of year – about average, nothing too strange. The surf is just plain poor.

Sunday afternoon shows a jump to 6ft but the period drops right off to a short, choppy 6 seconds, so it’s not going to have any real punch. Monday and Tuesday bring some bigger swell, hitting 8ft, but it’s still short-period stuff (7-8 seconds) and the wind is messy cross-off. The energy is moderate, but the quality just isn’t there – marginal at best.

Wednesday the 8th is where it starts to get interesting. The morning has a clean 5ft SE swell with a long 12-second period and offshore wind. That’s a proper groundswell starting to show. By the afternoon, the swell builds to 8ft with an 11-second period, and the energy is strong. It’s still cross-off wind, but the quality is better.

Thursday the 9th morning is the real standout in the first week. We’ve got 8ft of SE swell at 11 seconds, but the energy is pumping – that’s very strong. The wind is a moderate cross-off, keeping things clean. This is the best session of the early run. It’s a point break, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely. It’s going to be a bit of a handful for beginners at that size (over 5ft and pushing 8ft), but for an intermediate surfer, this is solid.

After that, the swell drops back through Friday and into the weekend, with cleaner conditions but smaller waves. Saturday the 11th afternoon looks nice – 4ft SE swell with light offshore wind (6 mph). Glassy conditions and clean. That’s a good, fun-size day.

Then we hit a real lull. From Sunday the 12th through Wednesday the 16th, it’s poor. Swell drops to 1ft, onshore and cross-on winds, choppy. There’s a gap of about 5 days with nothing worth paddling for.

But hold on – Thursday the 16th afternoon brings a new pulse. 8ft SE swell (8-second period) but with a gentle offshore wind. That’s clean conditions. That’s a proper surprise in the middle of a flat spell.

Friday the 17th is a gem. Morning has 6ft SE swell with a long 12-second period, cross-off wind. The afternoon is even cleaner with light offshore wind, 5ft, and the same long period. This is where the point break will be reeling off nicely.

But the real standout of the whole 16-day window is Saturday the 18th morning. This is a beauty. 7ft of SE groundswell with a very long 14-second period – that’s proper energy. And the wind? Glassy. Dead flat, perfect conditions. That’s a session for experienced surfers only – well over 6ft and big, powerful lines. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a bit more than a week out, so keep an eye on it, but it looks promising.

Also remember, with that long period and a SE direction, a point break like National Park is the perfect setup. It won’t close out like a beachie would.

Sunday the 19th stays clean and fun with 5ft at 12 seconds, and the last few days taper off into smaller, clean waves.

So, bottom line: the first week has a standout on Thursday the 9th morning. The second week has the absolute gem on Saturday the 18th morning. Don’t bother with the middle of the window – it’s flat and nasty. Crowds at National Park are often there, so expect company on the good days.

Rusty.

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