National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak surf to kick things off, with most of the real action and decent conditions holding off until the very end of August and the first day of September. After that, it gets pretty quiet again through the first half of September.

Starting with the first bit of surf on offer from Tuesday the 25th right through the rest of that week, it’s honestly pretty flat and messy. The swell is tiny, around 2ft to 3ft from the east, with a short period of 7 to 8 seconds. The wave energy is weak (in the 98-135 range), and the winds are a real problem—mostly cross or cross-off, but the swell is just too weak to push anything rideable. We’ve got a few clean windows, like Thursday afternoon when it goes offshore with a moderate breeze, but the swell is still only 3ft. It’s surfable but very ordinary. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you might want a thicker suit.

The weekend is pretty much a write-off. Saturday sees the swell drop even further, and by Sunday we get a bump in size to 6ft from the southeast, but the period is short at 6-7 seconds and the wind is fresh and offshore. It’s rated as marginal because the quality is poor despite the size—that short period swell with fresh wind makes for a bumpy, unruly lineup.

Now, the standout period arrives at the end of the month. Monday, August 31st and Tuesday, September 1st are the pick of the bunch. On Monday, we’ve got swell 5ft to 5ft from the southeast (6-second period) with moderate offshore winds from the SE all day. The wave energy is moderate (215-230), and it’s going to be clean and rideable—expect good surf conditions. Tuesday morning is also a winner, with 4ft from the ESE, light ENE cross-off breeze, and clean conditions. The energy is still moderate (204). These two days are the only real windows where the wind, size, and conditions line up for a decent session. Crowds are likely at this point (National Park is often busy), but if you can get out early on Monday or Tuesday morning, you’ll score.

The second week goes quiet again. Wednesday, September 2nd has a morning with glassy conditions and tiny 3ft swell, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. From there, it’s mostly small and onshore or cross-shore, with a few weird spikes of long-period swell (21 seconds on the 4th and 5th) but the height is only 1ft to 2ft—so the period is meaningless because there’s no energy to push. The wave energy is weak (58-157). It’s surfless for days at a time. After the 1st, there’s really nothing worth paddling out for until the middle of the month, and even then the outlook is poor with onshore winds and choppy conditions.

So, to sum it up: if you want a wave, your best bets are Monday, August 31st and Tuesday morning, September 1st. The rest is either too small, too windy, or too messy. It’s the kind of stretch where you don’t need to be checking the forecast every day.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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