National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a decent run of surf coming up at National Park, a point break that’s exposed to the swell. The water is sitting at 68°, which is a touch colder than we’d normally expect for this time of year – about 2° cooler, so you’ll want a slightly thicker spring suit.

The action kicks off Wednesday, August 19th, and it’s a strong start. Wednesday morning we’ve got a solid 7ft easterly-southeast swell with a short period of 8 seconds, but the wind is a clean offshore. The energy is moderate (514), and the conditions are set to be very good. This is the standout window. The afternoon drops a little to 5ft but the period stretches to 11 seconds, making for a longer, more powerful wave. The wind stays offshore, so it’s still quality.

Thursday, August 20th keeps the fun going. A bit of light rain in the morning, but the swell is 6ft from the east, period 8 seconds, and the wind is a gentle offshore. The energy is moderate (377). Afternoon is much the same, a little smaller at 5ft but still clean. This is a solid couple of days.

Friday, August 21st sees the swell drop to 4ft in the morning. The wind is light and offshore, so it’s clean, but the waves are just ordinary. The afternoon switches to a cross-offshore breeze, but it’s still only 4ft. The energy is weak (180-195). Not a day to get too excited about.

Saturday, August 22nd is a morning glass-off. The swell is tiny at 4ft, but with glassy conditions, it’ll be a pretty paddle. The energy is weak (147). The afternoon gets a bit of a cross-offshore breeze.

From Sunday, August 23rd through to Tuesday, August 25th, the surf gets smaller and less appealing. The swell drops below 3ft, and the wind starts to get messy. By Tuesday, the wind is onshore or cross-shore, and the energy is very weak (below 100). It’s a poor run.

Wednesday, August 26th is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is a write-off with a cross-onshore wind, but the afternoon turns glassy again with a tiny 2ft swell. It’s surfable, but only just.

Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th are more of the same – very small, with weak energy. Friday morning even has a bit of an onshore wind, making it a poor session.

Saturday, August 29th is a right-off. Tiny swell, cross-shore winds, and very weak energy.

Now, here’s a glimmer of hope. Sunday, August 30th brings a new pulse. The morning is a bit messy with a 5ft south-easterly swell and a cross-shore wind, but the afternoon cleans right up. The wind goes offshore, the swell is 4ft from the southeast with a 10-second period, and the energy is moderate (277). It’s a good session.

Monday, August 31st is a bit of a letdown. The morning has a 5ft swell but the wind is cross-offshore, and it’s rated poor. The afternoon has a very long period swell of 13 seconds from the southeast, but it’s only 2ft and the wind is too strong. The energy is moderate (369), but the conditions don’t match.

Tuesday, September 1st and Wednesday, September 2nd are tiny. Offshore winds keep the surface clean, but the swell is below 2ft. It’s almost flat.

Finally, Thursday, September 3rd brings a bit of size back. The morning has a 5ft swell from the east-southeast, a short period of 6 seconds, and a strong offshore wind. The energy is moderate (268), but it’s rated as marginal. The afternoon improves to 5ft, a 7-second period, and the wind is still offshore. It’s a good session to end the forecast.

Best Bet: The clear winner is Wednesday, August 19th through to Thursday, August 20th. The bigger swell, consistent offshore winds, and moderate energy make for the best surfing of the entire outlook. The point break setup should handle the short-period swell fine.

Ah, and one thing – this break is a point, so it’ll handle the longer-period swells that show up later in the forecast pretty well. But for the short-period stuff we’re getting early on, it’ll still be fun and punchy.

Catch you in the water.

Rusty

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