Noorderstrand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Noorderstrand over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you—this is a tough stretch for a paddle surfer.

Right off the bat, the water is a very unusual 69°, which is over 3° warmer than what you’d normally expect this time of year. That’s a bit of a talking point, but it’s about the only good news for a while. The first real chance to get wet doesn’t show up until Sunday, the 6th of September, and even then, it’s hardly worth bragging about. There’s a solid gap of nearly a week of flat, messy, or just plain ugly conditions before that.

Through the end of August and the first few days of September, it’s a consistent run of poor surf. Winds are mostly cross-onshore or worse, coming from the west at 30 mph or more, making for choppy, lumpy surfaces. Swell is small and weak, with that combined energy barely ticking over in the double digits most times. Nothing to see here.

Sunday, the 6th of September, is the first highlight, but it’s a humble one. The early session sees a light, clean cross-offshore breeze from the SSE at 6 mph. The waves themselves are small, around 3 ft from the NNW with a short period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is a weak 76. It’s surfable, very ordinary, but clean. If you’re desperate for a splash, the morning window is your only chance. The afternoon turns back to a light cross-shore with tiny ripples, and the swell drops off. Crowds are possible here at Noorderstrand, so don’t expect solitude.

The following week is a real mixed bag with more poor surf and messy winds. We get a pulse of more significant swell on Friday, the 12th of September, with the morning session showing 3 ft from the NNW and a light cross-offshore NE breeze at 6 mph. The combined energy climbs to a moderate 130, but the period is still short at 8 seconds. The surf is clean, but the size is tiny. The afternoon gets blown out again.

Now, the standout window comes in the second week. Sunday, the 14th of September afternoon shows a bit more grunt with 6 ft from the SW and a period of 6 seconds, with a gentle cross-shore breeze (WSW 9 mph). It’s marginal, and the combined energy is a moderate 261. But the real gem looks to be Monday, the 15th of September morning. We’ve got a decent 6 ft groundswell rolling in from the WNW with a light cross-offshore SSW breeze at 6 mph – that’s clean. The combined energy is a solid 319 (moderate energy), and conditions are expected to be good. The period is only 7 seconds, so it won’t hold up like a long-period classic, but for this stretch, this is the pick of the litter. The 6 ft is getting fairly solid, but should handle okay for intermediate folks. However, that afternoon the wind goes light offshore from the NW at 3 mph, which is glassy, but the swell drops back to 6 ft and the forecast is a bit more questionable on the tide.

Forget about the 11th of September morning too—there’s 6 ft from the NNW with a period of 8 seconds and a moderate offshore wind from the WNW at 12 mph. The combined energy is up at a strong 302, but the state is unknown and the forecast is “poor surf conditions” overall. That’s a painful one.

Honestly, if you’re a beginner, that 6 ft on the 15th might be a little pushy. If it was bigger and cleaner, it might be a kite surfer’s dream, but with the wind so light, it’s a paddle surfer’s window if you can time it. Otherwise, we’re looking at a whole lot of waiting around.

Keep an eye on that Monday the 15th morning window. Otherwise, the lake looks flat and sad.

Rusty.

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