Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: it’s a lean stretch ahead for Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory). We’ve got a lot of onshore wind and messy conditions clogging up the first week or so. The good news? There’s a couple of windows where things clean up, and the long-range looks like it might finally deliver.

The opening days are basically a write-off. The 20th has a weak 3ft west swell with a short 8-second period, and it’s onshore. The energy is weak (236). Forget it. The 21st sees a jump in size but the wind is howling from the WNW at 22 mph, making it lumpy and cross-onshore. Even though the swell jumps to 2ft with a long 16-second period and the energy climbs to 459, it’s unsurfable. The 22nd is worse: 8ft on Saturday morning with strong W winds at 25 mph and a jumbled 8-second period. That’s a mess, and the energy (1178) is just pushing that chop around. Saturday afternoon drops slightly to 7ft, but it’s still blown out.

The 23rd and 24th are still poor. There’s some size (5ft on Sunday morning) and a cleaner period (14 seconds), but the cross-onshore wind keeps it choppy. It’s just not worth paddling out. The 25th is the first flicker of hope—morning is small and clean-ish (3ft, SW, 13s, light wind) but only marginal. That afternoon actually gets interesting: 6ft of WSW swell, a solid 16-second period, and moderate cross-shore wind. The energy is strong (1872). It’s going to be a bit lumpy, but there’s some push in it. Mark it down as a maybe. The 26th morning is better: 5ft, SW, and a cross-offshore wind makes it clean. That’s the first decent session of the run. The afternoon fades back to poor.

Then the 27th and 28th are back to blown-out conditions with fresh onshore or cross-onshore winds. The 29th is a complete washout with strong SW winds at 25 mph. The 30th has a small, glassy window in the afternoon (4ft, W, 7s), but it’s low-energy and short-period – just cruisey, not exciting.

Now, the standout. Look at the 31st and the 1st of September. The 31st morning has 4ft of WSW swell with a 10-second period and a light cross-offshore breeze, making it clean. The afternoon goes glassy with 4ft. That’s a solid, clean, fun day. The 1st of September morning is even better: 4ft, W, 9s, dead calm and glassy. That’s your pick for a clean, user-friendly session. It’s not big, but it’s clean.

The 2nd of September afternoon is the real standout. The wind swings offshore (ESE at 6 mph) and the swell pumps to 8ft from the WSW with a 9-second period. Energy (904) is solid. That’s the best combination of size and clean conditions on the whole card. It’s a proper session. The 3rd of September has some size (7ft, WSW, 15s) but the cross-shore wind and rain showers will make it lumpy, so it’s not on the same level.

The 4th of September—a week and a half out—looks like it’s going to be big (7ft, WSW, 16s) but the strong onshore wind will ruin it. So, the window to focus on is the 31st through the 2nd, with that Wednesday afternoon being the one to circle.

One last thing: water temp is 56°F, which is about average for this time of year. It’s cold, so bring the good rubber.

Overall, it’s a patchy outlook. Get your best waves on the 31st and the 1st, and if you can get out on the 2nd afternoon, you’re laughing. The rest is mostly a battle with the wind.

Take care.

Rusty.

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