Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ down at Norman Bay.

Honestly, for the next couple of weeks it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and there’s plenty of time where you’re better off stayin’ home. The first real light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t show up until Thursday the 17th of September. Before that, we’ve got a solid run of days where the wind is just makin' a mess of things or the swell is too messy to get excited about. There are a few mornings and afternoons where the waves are there, but the conditions are just poor. The stand-out session in the whole outlook is Thursday the 17th of September afternoon.

Alright, let’s run through it.

Tuesday the 8th, we’ve got some small swell in the water, 2ft to 4ft from the SW, but the wind is howling onshore at 19 to 31 mph. That’s a write-off.

Wednesday the 9th, the swell jumps up to 8ft from the SW with a long 21-second period – that’s got some serious energy. But the wind is a strong cross-onshore at 22 mph, so it’ll be lumpy and messy. Not for the faint-hearted, and definitely too big for beginners at over 5ft.

Thursday the 10th stays similar, still 6ft to 6ft from the SW, but still with a cross-onshore wind. Choppy.

Friday the 11th, the swell drops back to around 4ft, and the wind is onshore but lighter. Still not great.

Saturday the 12th morning, a little 4ft SW groundswell, but the wind is cross-onshore. The afternoon cleans up a bit with light winds, but it’s still only marginal.

Sunday the 13th is small and crossed up, nothing to write home about.

Monday the 14th, the wind is back up, blowing onshore at 19-22 mph. Small, messy, forget it.

Tuesday the 15th, we see a bit of a spike to 5ft-6ft from the SW, but it’s still cross-onshore and choppy. Kite surfers might have a ball, but for a paddle surfer it's pretty ordinary.

Wednesday the 16th, similar story.

Now, Thursday the 17th of September – this is where it gets interesting. The morning shows 3ft from the SW, a solid 16-second period, and a cross-offshore breeze from the NE. It’s clean. Then Thursday afternoon is the pick of the bunch: 3ft of SW groundswell, a 15-second period, and light offshore wind from the east. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions”. That’s the one to circle. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Friday the 18th, the wind cranks back onshore, ruining the fun.

Saturday the 19th morning, there’s a bit of a spike to 6ft from the SW, but it’s a short 8-second period and there’s rain around. It’s marginal. The afternoon brings a strong onshore wind at 28 mph. Hard pass.

Sunday the 20th, it’s big with 7ft to 7ft from the WSW, but the wind is a strong onshore at 25-28 mph. That’s expert only, and messy.

Monday the 21st, still big at 6ft to 6ft from the SW with a long 17-second period, but the wind is still onshore. The afternoon improves a bit, but still just marginal.

Tuesday the 22nd, the swell drops to 5ft from the SW, a long 16-second period, and the wind goes light and cross. It’s a borderline day.

Wednesday the 23rd, the swell is tiny and the wind is back onshore. The window is closing.

So overall, the best bet is Thursday the 17th of September afternoon at Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory). Clean, light offshore wind, and a nice 3ft SW groundswell with a long 15-second period. It won’t be huge, but it’ll be fun and clean. If you can get out there, that’s the one.

Rusty.

Read more