National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down National Park the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a wait. The first real action kicks off on Friday the 10th, and it’s a decent little pulse. We’re looking at a 5ft swell from the southeast, with a solid 10-second period, so the energy is moderate (714). The water temperature is 69°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. Friday morning has light rain and a cross-off breeze, so the waves will be clean. Expect very good surf conditions. The afternoon cleans up even more with a light offshore wind from the southeast, dropping the swell to 4ft but keeping it clean. This is a solid spot to get wet.

Saturday the 11th sees the swell easing, with 4ft on Saturday morning from the southeast, period pushing out to 11 seconds. The wind is a light cross-off from the south. It’s clean, but the energy is dropping (317). Saturday afternoon gets smaller at 3ft, and the wind swings cross-off from the east-northeast. Still surfable, but the punch is fading.

Sunday the 12th is a write-off. Onshore winds from the northwest and west-northwest ruin the surface, so don’t bother.

We’ve got a flat spell from Monday the 13th right through to Wednesday the 15th. The swell drops to 2ft and below, with the energy falling into the double digits (63, 56, 41, etc.). The conditions are glassy at times, but there’s just no power. It’s a gap of several days where there’s nothing worth paddling out for.

Thursday the 16th brings a sudden jump in size, but it comes with a catch. The swell hits 6ft in the morning, building to 7ft by the afternoon, from the south-southeast. The period is short – 8 to 9 seconds – so it’s a windswell, not a groundswell. The wind is strong, blowing 22 to 25 mph from the south, cross-off. The energy is moderate to strong (385 to 770), but the surf quality is poor. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddling session.

Now, Friday the 17th is where it gets interesting. The swell is 7ft from the southeast, with a 12-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, and the energy is strong (1115). The wind is a cross-off at 22 mph, which keeps it clean but blown-out looking. The quality is marginal, likely due to tide or the sheer size. At 7ft, this is for experienced surfers only. The point break setup here should handle the long period better than a beach break, so it might hold shape. The afternoon drops to 6ft with the same period, still strong.

Saturday the 18th through Sunday the 19th keeps the swell at 5ft from the southeast. The period drops from 11 to 10 seconds, and the energy eases from 556 to 514. The wind stays cross-off from the south. Sunday afternoon is the standout here: the wind turns offshore from the southeast, and the swell period jumps back to 12 seconds (727 energy). Expect very good surf conditions. The point break should handle that long period nicely. This is a real highlight, with clean, lined-up waves for the intermediate crowd.

Monday the 20th sees the swell drop to 3ft. The morning is glassy, with a light wind from the west-southwest. Expect good, clean surf, but it’s smaller. The afternoon gets a bit of cross-off breeze, but it’s still surfable.

The rest of the run from Tuesday the 21st to Thursday the 23rd is small, with 2ft to 2ft swell. The energy is low (96 to 161). The wind is light, mostly cross or cross-off, but the surf is ordinary. You’ll be scratching for a ride.

We get a bit of a pulse again on Friday the 24th, with 3ft from the east-southeast, period 11 seconds. The morning is marginal, but the afternoon turns offshore from the east-southeast, clean and gentle. Expect good surf conditions.

Finally, Saturday the 25th offers a 4ft to 4ft swell from the southeast. The morning is glassy, with no wind, so it’s clean. Expect good surf conditions. The afternoon gets a cross-shore breeze, making it a bit messy.

The standout here is Sunday the 19th at National Park. The 5ft southeast swell, with that 12-second period and offshore wind, is going to produce clean, lined-up waves. The point break will handle the long period well. It’s the best of the run.

Rusty.

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