Noorderstrand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m lookin’ at the full 16-day window here and – truth be told – it’s a pretty grim run for the most part. The surf is either tiny, blown out, or just plain messy day after day. There’s no decent rideable swell lining up, and the wind is constantly in the wrong spot. The best I can say is that if you’re desperate for a paddle, the very tail end of the period shows a couple of small windows of opportunity, but otherwise it’s a waiting game.

Let’s start with what’s happenin’ at Noorderstrand. The water’s sittin’ at a crazy 71°F – that’s 6°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so yeah, it’s much warmer than normal. Feels more like a tropical lagoon than a surf break, but the waves just aren’t there.

Monday morning, August 17, we’ve got a tiny 1 ft swell from the NNW with a short period of 6 seconds and a light onshore breeze. Honestly, it’s poor surf. The combined energy is only 10 – weak as. That theme sticks around for days. Tuesday, August 18, the swell picks up a little to 3 ft but it’s cross-onshore and choppy. Wednesday, August 19, similar story – 4 ft from the NW but still cross-on and messy. Combined energy climbs to 89 – still weak.

Thursday, August 20, we get a bit of a bump in energy – 4 ft from the WSW, period 5 seconds, combined energy 103 (moderate), but the wind is whipping at 30 km/h with a risk of thunderstorms and a lumpy cross-chop. Not good. The rest of that week is just more of the same: small, onshore, choppy, with scores all at zero. Friday, August 21, there’s a brief moment of lighter wind – 10 km/h from the NNW – but the swell is barely 2 ft and the combined energy is 39. No good.

Saturday, August 22, clean skies but the wind’s onshore again at 25 km/h, swell 3 ft, period 6 seconds – poor. Sunday, August 23, a little more size – 4 ft from the WNW and a light breeze in the morning, but it’s still cross-onshore and fairly choppy by afternoon. Combined energy hits 106 – moderate – but the quality’s just not there.

Then we hit a gap of a few days of nothing worthwhile. Monday, August 24, through to Thursday, August 27, sees swell dropping to 0.7 ft to 3 ft, periods short, and wind all over the shop. The one bright spot is Thursday morning, August 27 – glassy conditions with 2 ft swell from the SW, period 5 seconds, combined energy 24. It’s dead calm, so the surface will be like glass, but the swell is tiny and weak. Still, if you’ve got a longboard and want to be out there, that’s the cleanest it’ll be.

Friday, August 28, morning shows a bit of hope – 3 ft from the W, period 6 seconds, with a light offshore breeze from the SSW. Combined energy 65 – weak, but the wind is cross-offshore and the wave comment says “clean.” That’s the best-looking window in the whole run. Still small, but at least it’s clean. The afternoon turns cross-onshore again though.

Now, the real standout – and I mean the only one worth getting excited about – is Saturday, August 29. We get a solid 8 ft swell from the SW, period 7 seconds, combined energy 471 – that’s strong wave energy. However, the wind is a fresh 35 km/h cross-shore with a lumpy cross-chop, and there’s moderate rain. This is expert-only territory. The swell is big, but the conditions are messy. If you’re good enough to handle it, there’s power there, but it won’t be pretty. The afternoon drops to 7 ft from the WSW, period 8 seconds, energy 539, still strong, but cross-onshore and choppy. Honestly, this setup might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Sunday, August 30, drops back to 2 ft and onshore again. The rest of the run into September 1 is tiny and windy – 2 ft to 4 ft, periods short, poor conditions all the way.

So, bottom line – there’s no consistent run of good surf here. The best on offer is Friday morning, August 28, for a clean but small session, and if you’re an expert, the big messy swell on Saturday, August 29, might give you a thrill. Otherwise, it’s a long gap of poor surf. Forecasts change, so keep an eye out, but as it stands, I’d be taking a break.

Rusty.

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