National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks here at National Park. This is a solid point break, exposed to the open ocean, and it likes the swell from the east-northeast direction. We’ve got a nice run of clean, offshore conditions kickin’ things off, so it’s not all bad news. The water temp is sittin’ about where you’d expect for this time of year, so nothin’ freaky there.

We start things off Monday the 17th of August with a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is cloudy with a fresh 19 mph offshore wind from the southeast, but the swell is a chunky 8 ft from the east-southeast. That’s a bit of a lumpy one, and the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’s gonna be a bit fat and sectiony—marginal surf, honestly. The afternoon cleans up though; winds drop to a moderate 16 mph offshore, swell drops a hair to 7 ft, and the energy is moderate (548). It’s waves, but not the best of the week.

Tuesday the 18th gets interesting. After a rainy morning with cross-offshore wind, the afternoon really turns it on. We’ve got 7 ft of swell from the east-southeast, a period of 8 seconds, and moderate energy (539). The wind is a solid 16 mph offshore from the southeast. The guidance says the optimum swell direction is east-northeast, so this is a bit off, but it’s still a good wave. This is one of the better windows, but it’s not the absolute standout.

Now, Wednesday the 19th of August is where it’s at. That morning session is the real gem. There’s a gentle 9 mph offshore wind from the southeast, and the swell is 7 ft from the east-southeast with an 8-second period. The combined energy is a solid 640—that’s moderate, on the stronger side. The waves are gonna be clean, lined up, and punchy for a point break. This is the top pick. It’s a bit too big for beginners at over 5 ft, but for the intermediate surfer, this is gonna be magic. Expect crowds here because it’s often busy, but that’s the price you pay for perfect.

The afternoon eases off a bit, swell drops to 4 ft from the southeast, still offshore. Thursday the 20th is a smaller day, with 4 ft to 4 ft waves from the east-southeast, still clean. Friday the 21st is similar, small 5 ft waves from the east, with light winds. It’s fun, but not a standout.

Saturday the 22nd has a beautiful glassy start—zero wind from the south-southwest—but the swell drops to just 4 ft from the east. The energy is weak (169). It’ll be glassy clean, but the waves will be small and ordinary.

Then we hit a real lull. From Sunday the 23rd, the swell slowly fades and the winds start to muck about. By Monday the 24th, the swell is down to 3 ft, and it just gets smaller and more onshore through until around the 27th. There’s a solid gap of poor to flat conditions from Sunday the 23rd afternoon right through to Wednesday the 26th, where you’re lookin’ at 2 ft to 2 ft waves and onshore wind. Not worth paddling out.

Things start to stir again on Thursday the 27th of August. There’s a 5 ft swell from the southeast, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is cross-shore. It’s marginal. Friday the 28th is a bit better with a 4 ft swell from the east-southeast and cross-offshore wind, but it’s still just ordinary.

Now, lookin’ further out, the week starting the 31st of August has some interesting action for the experts. On Monday the 31st, we see a long-period swell pop up—4 ft from the east-southeast with a period of 13 seconds—that’s groundswell. The energy reads 465, which is moderate. But the wind is onshore from the north-northwest, so it’s gonna be messy. This is promising but less certain for clean conditions. By Tuesday the 1st of September, the period drops to 12 seconds, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft and the wind is cross. Not much to get excited about.

So, to sum it up: the clear standout is Wednesday morning, the 19th of August. Get on that. Tuesday afternoon the 18th is your second-best bet. The rest of the run is either small, onshore, or just average. The long-range stuff on the 31st has potential if the wind plays ball, but it’s a gamble.

Rusty.

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