Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer down at Norman Bay over the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – the start of this outlook is a tough one. We’re lookin’ at a real flat spell to kick things off. The first sign of anything rideable is a small, clean window on Saturday the 18th, but it’s a real knee-high affair with only 3ft of southwest swell. That combined wave energy is sitting at 373 (moderate energy), and with a light 10 km/h west-northwest breeze, it’ll be clean. But honestly, it’s marginal. You’d be scratchin’ for one.

Sunday morning the 19th is a complete write-off – poor conditions. But Sunday afternoon? That’s where it gets interesting. The wind drops to glassy, zero km/h, and we’ve got 2ft of west-southwest swell. It’s small, but glassy conditions at Norman Bay are a rare treat. The waves will be clean, silky, and super user-friendly. It’s surfable, but ordinary. Not a standout, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far.

Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are a mess – moderate to fresh cross-onshore winds ruin any chance of clean waves, even though Tuesday afternoon pumps up to 5ft from the west with a massive 1198 combined energy. That’s strong wave energy, but with that wind, it’s gonna be a choppy, lumpy mess. Not worth paddlin’ out for.

Then Wednesday the 22nd through Friday the 24th? It’s all rain showers and howlin’ wind. Wednesday morning sees a pathetic 5ft short-period swell (7 seconds) with 30 km/h wind. Thursday the 23rd is the biggest swell of the whole run – 8ft from the southwest, with a period of 14 seconds, and a combined energy of 2436 (very strong). But the wind is a savage 40 km/h cross-onshore. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine. Only for the hardcore, and even then, it’s messy. Too big for beginners, and it’s a beach break, so that long-period groundswell will be breakin’ straight and fast. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The following week doesn’t get much better. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th are poor, with cross-onshore winds and small, weak swell. Monday the 27th afternoon finally shows a flicker of hope. We get 5ft of short-period west swell (7 seconds) with a light 10 km/h north-northeast cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy is 363 (moderate), and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s the best of a bad bunch, but that short period means it’ll be a bit weak and crumbly. Still, with clean conditions, you might snag a few.

After that, it’s back to the grind. Tuesday the 28th through Wednesday the 30th morning is all strong winds and poor surf. But then, on Thursday the 30th morning, we get a real moment of beauty. Glassy conditions, 3ft of southwest swell with a 13-second period, and a combined energy of 330 (moderate). The water temperature is 57°, which is about 1° warmer than average for this time of year – nothin’ crazy, just a touch milder. That glassy morning will be the standout session of the entire outlook. Clean, glassy, and with that long-period swell, the waves will have some shape and power. Norman Bay is a fairly exposed beach, so it’ll handle the southwest swell well. Beginners will be fine in that 3ft, and it’s consistent. Crowds are sometimes a thing here, so you might have company.

The final few days of the run – Friday the 31st through to Sunday the 2nd of August – are all about strong offshore winds. The swell is tiny (1ft to 3ft) and the wind is howlin’ at 25 to 45 km/h from the east and south. That’s clean, but it’ll be nearly impossible to paddle into. The long-period swell on the 1st of August (20 seconds!) is a real tease – it’ll be clean but almost impossible to catch. Leave those for the die-hards.

So, the best bet for the whole 16-day window? Lock in Thursday the 30th of July morning. Glassy, clean, 3ft of southwest swell. That’s the one. The only other session worth a real look is Monday the 27th afternoon, but it’s short-period and a gamble.

Rusty.

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