Nipussi (Nyang-Nyang) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a seat. Let’s have a yarn about what’s coming up at Nipussi (Nyang-Nyang). It’s an exposed reef set-up that takes a good south-west swell, but this forecast ain’t gonna be one for the faint-hearted.

The whole sixteen-day window is pretty much one long, frustrating story: there’s solid swell on the way, but the wind and conditions are just plain messy for a lot of it. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, no wild anomalies to report.

It kicks off from Friday the 21st of August with a decent 7 ft SSW groundswell running on a very long 15-second period, but the wind is junk – cross-on from the southeast. That combo is going to leave it choppy and hard to read. The combined energy is pumping at 2923, which is strong, but the quality is just not there. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are more of the same: solid 7 ft to 8 ft SSW swell but with onshore winds making it a battle. Monday the 24th through Wednesday the 26th sees the swell start to drop, but it’s still onshore and poor. You’re looking at a lot of days where the score is low.

The middle of the second week, from Thursday the 27th of August to Sunday the 30th, is a bit of a mixed bag. The swell dips, but there’s a really long-period 18-second pulse pushing through on the 27th and 28th. The energy gets up there again (2457 on Thursday arvo), but the wind is still onshore from the SSE. That’s a lot of raw, chunky power without the clean face you’d want. This is advanced-level territory; at over 5 ft with onshore wind, beginners would be out of their depth. By Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th the swell drops right off into the 3 ft to 4 ft range, and it’s basically flat or fizzing out.

Now, the true standout here is the 1st and 2nd of September. Monday the 31st of August starts to show some promise with a 7 ft SW groundswell and a 19-second period, combined energy of 3135, and light SSE winds. That’s a big, powerful groundswell. This is a long-period swell, so at a reef break like Nipussi it should line up and offer some proper grinding barrels – not a beachbreak where it would race through.

But the absolute best of the window lands on Wednesday the 2nd of September. That morning, you’ve got a 7 ft SW swell, a 16-second period, and the wind goes completely glassy – dead calm from the northeast. The combined energy is 2217 (moderate-strong). That is the moment. Glassy conditions on a reef with this much juice? That’s an excellent call for experienced surfers. The only downside is that the Nipussi website says it can be crowded, so you might not be alone out there even if the conditions are perfect. That one morning session is the sparkle in an otherwise average outlook. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September fade back into onshore slop with the swell dropping away.

So, short story: most of the next two weeks is onshore and frustrating, but don’t sleep on the first couple of days of September, especially Wednesday the 2nd in the morning. That is the one to clear the diary for.

- Rusty

Read more