Noorderstrand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Look, I've got to be straight with you – we've had a look at the Noorderstrand forecast for the next couple of weeks, and it's a tough picture. This is a spot that's exposed to the northwest, and for the next week and a half, the wind is going to be our biggest enemy, coming mostly from the north and northwest, which just ruins things here. The water's sitting at 70.2° which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, but that's the only good news. The surf on offer is just not worth paddling out for.

We're starting on Thursday the 13th of August, and honestly, it's a bust. The swell is tiny, 1 ft from the north with a short, weak period of 7 seconds and almost no energy (9). It's clean with an offshore breeze, but there's nothing to ride. Friday the 14th is even smaller, and the wind swings cross-on. This pattern of small, weak swell and onshore or cross-onshore wind holds all the way through to the end of the first week.

There's a brief moment on Monday morning the 17th where it goes glassy, but with only 1.3 ft of weak swell, it's not going to produce anything worthwhile. Then things get a bit more interesting in terms of size, but the quality drops. From Tuesday the 18th through to Friday the 21st, we see the swell bump up to 5 ft and the energy climbs into the moderate range (270 at its peak), but that's all from a short-period west-northwest windswell, and the wind is fresh and cross-onshore, making it a messy, lumpy mess. At that size, with that onshore wind, it'll be a battle.

Then, around Saturday the 22nd of August, we finally get a break in the wind. The morning has a light east-southeast breeze, which here is a cross-offshore wind, and the conditions go clean. The swell is dropping to 3 ft from the north-northwest with a period of 8 seconds, and the energy is moderate (107). It's still very ordinary, but it's the first time the conditions line up for something halfway rideable for the beginner crowd this break is suited for. Sunday the 23rd sees the wind turn messy again.

By the far end of the forecast, Monday the 24th of August, we get another clean window with a cross-offshore south wind and 2.3 ft of swell. And then Monday afternoon, the wind drops to absolute glass, dead calm. The waves are tiny, only 1.3 ft, but if you're desperate on a longboard and just want to feel the salt, that glassy afternoon session might be your best bet.

The Standout: Honestly, there's no true standout here. If I'm forced to pick the least worst option, it's Monday the 24th of August afternoon. The wind is glassy, dead calm, and while the 1.3 ft north swell is tiny and weak, it'll be clean as a whistle. For a beginner at Noorderstrand, that's the easiest, cleanest water you're going to get in this entire 16-day window. Don't expect any power or open-face waves.

Read more