Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Alright, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag shaping up for Norman Bay over the next couple of weeks. The early part of the window has some real promise, but there’s a long, nasty stretch of weather coming that’ll shut things down for a while. Let’s break it down.

We kick off on Wednesday the 8th of July. The morning is looking clean with light east winds, 3ft of SW groundswell, and a very long period of 19 seconds. The water’s sitting at 58°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but noticeable. The wave energy is moderate at 594, and conditions are clean. Surf’s a bit small, but that long period means the sets will have some push, and the shape will be good on a forgiving beach like Norman Bay.

Later that same Wednesday afternoon, the swell bumps up to 4ft, still SW, period drops a touch to 18 seconds, but the wind goes even lighter from the east at 3 mph. Combined energy climbs to 790 – still moderate but with more grunt. Conditions are very good for a beginner-friendly wave. Crowds are possible here sometimes, so you might have a few mates out.

Thursday the 9th of July, morning session is the real standout. Glassy conditions with a light NNE breeze, 3ft of SW swell, 16-second period, and combined energy at 309. It’s small but that glassy surface and long-period consistency make for a lovely, easy paddle. This is your pick of the week.

Thursday afternoon goes calm, with 2ft swell and period down to 15 seconds, energy dropping to 171. Conditions are glassy but the waves are ordinary – not much to get excited about.

Now here’s where it gets rough. From Friday the 10th into Saturday the 11th, the wind starts cranking from the north at 16 mph, blowing cross-shore, and the swell is small and weak. Scores drop right off. Sunday the 12th through to the end of the window is mostly a write-off. We’ve got sustained strong to near-gale winds, cross-onshore or onshore, with swell heights climbing from 8ft up to 10ft at times, but it’s all blown out and messy. The combined energy hits massive numbers – 2344, 3460, even 5314 on the 22nd – but it’s not surfable for a paddle board. At those sizes (over 8ft) and with the wind howling, this is really only for experts, and honestly, with the wind the way it is, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There’s a gap of poor-to-zero surf from the 11th of July right through until the 23rd of July, where things finally start to look up again. On the morning of Thursday the 23rd of July, we’ve got 5ft of SW swell, 15-second period, light cross-on wind, and combined energy at 2137 – still moderate but with some life. A bit marginal on the tide.

But the real comeback is the afternoon of Thursday the 23rd of July: nearly glassy conditions with a light NNW breeze, 6ft of WSW groundswell, 15-second period, and a combined energy of 2149. The forecast calls this excellent for experienced surfers – and I’d agree. That’s a long way out though, nearly three weeks, so treat it as promising but less certain.

So to wrap it up: your best window is Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th of July, with the Thursday morning standout for clean, glassy conditions and easy waves. After that, it’s a long blank stretch until late on the 23rd, where we might get another taste of clean, heftier swell near the end of the forecast period.

Stay patient, stay safe.
Rusty.

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