No Pass Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for No Pass. This is a reef break that needs a solid WNW swell to really get going, and it's fairly consistent, so it's not a total write-off. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about 1° cooler than average for this time of year, so not unusual, but it's got a bit of a bite to it.

The first few days are a bit of a mixed bag. Thursday afternoon, the 3rd of September, sees a clean 6 ft swell from the WNW with a 10-second period, and the wind goes glassy, dead calm. That’s the kind of moment you wait for – the ocean is like a mirror. The combined energy is strong (1026), so there’s a bit of push behind it. That’s your best early window, but it’s a short one.

Friday and Saturday the 4th and 5th are a letdown. The swell drops to around 3 ft to 4 ft from the SSW, and the wind turns onshore or cross, making it lumpy. The energy drops off hard, from 1255 down to 779, and the score is poor. It’s just not worth paddling out for.

Sunday the 6th through to Wednesday the 9th is a real nothing stretch. Swell drops to 2 ft – 3 ft, wind is mostly cross-onshore, and the energy is weak (157–402). The forecast calls it poor or marginal. That’s a solid 4-day gap with no real recommendations.

Now, Thursday the 10th offers a slight improvement. A 3 ft SW swell with a 17-second period, but the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. The energy is moderate (484), but it’s not the standout.

Here’s where it gets interesting – Friday the 11th of September. The swell jumps to 10 ft from the SSW, with a 13-second period, and the combined energy is huge (2699). That’s a lot of water moving. However, the wind is cross-onshore, and for a reef break, that’s going to make it messy. This is expert-only territory. The size alone (over 8 ft) means it’s not for the faint-hearted, and the period is only 11 seconds in the afternoon, so it’s not a classic groundswell. It’s powerful, but the conditions are questionable.

Saturday the 12th drops to 6 ft, but the wind is cross-onshore and then a fresh 19 mph breeze from the NNW kicks up, making it lumpy. Not good.

The week of the 13th to the 17th is a slow decline. There’s a brief moment on Monday the 14th afternoon when the wind goes glassy, and the swell is 4 ft from the NW (9 seconds), but the energy is only 354. It’s small and weak. Still, a glassy surface is a major positive, so you could get a few clean, if small, waves.

The real standout isn’t until the end of the run. Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of September. The swell is tiny (2 ft – 3 ft), but it’s from the SW with a very long period of 21 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The wind is glassy, and the combined energy for Friday morning is 663, which is moderate but driven by that long period. The conditions are described as “very good” and “excellent.” For a reef break like No Pass, that long period will wrap in nicely, and the glassy surface will make it perfect. The size is small, so it’s beginner-friendly, but the quality of the wave will be high. That’s the best on offer – a beautiful, clean, long-period groundswell with no wind.

The 16th of September also has a 2 ft SSW swell with a 17-second period and glassy wind, which is a good warm-up.

So, overall, the first week is mostly a bust. The 11th of September has power but messy wind. The clear winner is the 17th and 18th of September – two days of small, glassy, long-period groundswell. It’s a bit of a wait, but it’ll be worth it.

Rusty.

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