National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, looking at your local stretch.

Alright, looks like we're in for a patchy run of surf over the next couple of weeks. Nothing too wild, mostly small and clean conditions with a few windows that'll get you out. The water is sitting at 68°F at National Park, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you might want a thicker suit.

The first real chance to wet a line is on Wednesday the 26th of August. The afternoon is looking glassy with a light SSE breeze, and we've got a 3ft swell rolling in from the ENE. The energy is moderate (115), and it's a fairly consistent point break, so it's surfable, but the conditions are pretty ordinary. It's a start.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th see the swell drop a touch to 2ft-3ft from the East, but the wind swings offshore or cross-off, keeping things clean. The energy stays moderate (104-150), and while it's not pumping, you'll get some clean little lines. Saturday the 29th looks similar, with offshore winds and a 3ft Easterly swell (130), though there are rain showers around. The waves are small but clean.

Sunday the 30th is where it gets interesting, but not for everyone. The morning is a write-off with strong cross-off winds, but the afternoon brings a fresh offshore breeze and a 6ft swell from the SE. The energy jumps to a strong 273, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it'll be a bit crumbly and messy. That's expert territory now, as it's over 5ft, and with that short period, it's going to be a bit of a handful. The wind will be howling, so it might be more of a kite session than a paddle session.

Monday the 31st drops back to a 4ft swell from the ESE (125), with offshore winds, but the period is still short. The rest of the first week and into the start of September is a story of small, clean surf. From Tuesday the 1st of September through to the 5th, we're looking at 2ft to 2ft East swells, with moderate energy, and mostly glassy or offshore winds in the mornings. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it's clean fun for a longboard or a foamie. The standout for the whole 16-day window is probably the afternoon of Sunday the 30th of August if you're after a bit of power, but you'll need to be on your game. The consistent, clean small stuff from the 1st to the 5th of September is the better bet for a relaxed session.

After the 5th of September, the energy drops off significantly. We get a few days of tiny, poor surf with onshore winds, and then a small 1ft-2ft East swell with offshore winds on the 7th, 8th and 9th of September, but the energy is weak (23-80). It's a long gap of very marginal conditions. The 10th of September is the last day in the window, with a tiny 0.7ft SSE swell (30) and a very long 13-second period, but it's basically flat.

So, the best bet? Hit the glassy Wednesday afternoon the 26th of August for a slow, clean start, or the consistent, clean, small waves from the 1st to the 5th of September. The Sunday afternoon the 30th of August has the most size, but it's a messy, expert-only affair.

Rusty.

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