National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for National Park. It’s a point break that’s exposed to the east-northeast, but the truth is, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim. There’s a whole lot of nothing happening for days on end, with only a few moments that are barely worth a second look.

The water temperature is sitting at 68°, which is about 3° colder than normal for this time of year. The combined swell energy is weak at just 72, so there’s not much push behind the waves.

We’ve got a dry spell from Tuesday morning all the way through to Wednesday the 10th. That’s over a week with no real surf on offer. The wind is glassy or offshore at times, and the conditions are clean, but the swell is pitiful – tiny 1 ft to 2 ft east stuff with a short period, and the energy is barely registering (63 to 44). It’s just not worth paddling out.

Then, on Thursday the 10th, we finally see something. The morning brings a 7 ft swell from the south-southeast, with a period of 9 seconds and a strong offshore wind from the south-southeast at 22 mph. The combined energy jumps to 827, which is a solid punch. This is the biggest swell of the window, and the offshore wind is a major positive – it’ll be clean. But that size is only for experienced surfers, and the direction is a bit off from the optimum east-northeast. It’s a standout for the sheer power, but it’s a one-off.

The rest of the forecast is a mixed bag of small, short-period swells (1 ft to 4 ft) with onshore or cross-shore winds, keeping the surf poor. The afternoon of the 12th has a bit more shape with a 4 ft swell from the southeast and a 9-second period, but the wind is cross-offshore and the energy is moderate (182). It’s surfable, but nothing special.

Later in the second week, the morning of the 16th sees a 3 ft east-northeast swell with a 6-second period and light offshore winds. The energy is weak (78), so it’s a small, clean wave for a longboard, but nothing to get excited about.

The best on offer is without a doubt the morning of Thursday the 10th. That 7 ft south-southeast groundswell with strong offshore wind is your only real shot at a proper wave. It’s a big, clean, powerful set, but it’s only for the experts. For everyone else, it’s a long wait.

Rusty.

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