National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about National Park. The water temp is about normal for the season, so no shock there. It starts off slow, but there’s a good run of swell coming, especially near the end of August and into early September.

Monday the 24th of August is a weak start. Morning is 4ft from the east, short 7-second period, energy at 130. Light offshore wind keeps it clean, but it’s pretty ordinary. The afternoon is a touch better with 4ft and an 8-second period, energy 153, still clean.

Tuesday and Wednesday are similar. Tuesday morning is 3ft from the east, clean but weak. The one bright spot in the early week is Wednesday morning the 26th: the swell is only 3ft from the ENE, but the wind goes glassy. That’s a major win. The wave face will be smooth as butter, even if the size is small. It’s a longboard or funboard special.

Thursday the 27th is a mess with strong cross-offshore winds and small waves. Skip it.

Now, Friday the 28th of August is the first real signal. Morning brings 4ft from the east, still short-period at 7 seconds, but the energy jumps to 247. The wind is a gentle offshore from the ESE, so it’s clean. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions” – this is the first proper highlight.

The absolute standout, the one you need to plan for, is Sunday the 30th of August through to Tuesday the 1st of September. Sunday afternoon has 7ft from the ESE, period 7 seconds, but the energy is 429 – that’s moderate to strong. Offshore wind keeps it clean. Monday the 31st is the best of the bunch. The morning is 7ft, energy 459, and the afternoon goes to 7ft with 519 energy and an 8-second period. The forecast says “expect very good surf conditions” – that’s the top of the chart. The wind is a moderate offshore, so the waves will be clean and powerful. The 7ft size is perfect for intermediate surfers, solid but not out of control. The point break handles the east-southeast direction well.

Tuesday the 1st of September is still strong, with 6ft and 413 energy, clean winds. Wednesday the 2nd is still good, with 6ft to 5ft, energy in the 350-425 range, and clean.

After that, the swell fades. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are a washout with onshore and cross-shore winds, and the swell drops to 3ft. There’s a few days of nothing special. Saturday the 5th of September has a small, glassy morning with 3ft – clean but tiny. Sunday the 6th is similar, small and clean.

The last few days, from Monday the 7th of September, the energy drops to double digits (78-100) and the wind is poor. It’s flat.

Your best bet is clear: Monday the 31st of August. 7ft from the ESE, offshore wind, and the highest energy of the whole run. That’s the session.

Rusty.

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