Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. I’ve been staring at the charts for Norman Bay (Wilsons Promontory) and I’ve got to be straight with you: it’s a bleak run. We’ve got a 16-day window stretching from the 26th of August through to the 10th of September, and there isn’t a single good surf recommendation in the entire stretch. Not one. The guidance is pretty firm on that, and honestly, the conditions back it up. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s not all that unusual. The swell is there, but the wind is ruining everything, and the quality is just poor.

Let’s break it down. We start on Wednesday afternoon, the 26th, with a 4ft SW swell, 13-second period, but a cross-on shore breeze at 25 mph is whipping the surface into a choppy mess. The wave energy is moderate, sitting at 637. The water temp is 56°, which is only about 1° above the long-term average, so nothing to write home about. It’s just ordinary, and the surf is poor.

The next few days, Thursday and Friday, see the swell drop off a little, with early readings around 2ft, though it’s still onshore winds. But the real tease comes Friday afternoon, the 28th. The swell jumps to 6ft with a 17-second period, and the energy spikes to 3466, which is solid, strong wave energy. For a moment, you think we’re in for something. But it’s onshore, and the note says it’s marginal at best, with questionable tide conditions. It’s a one-out-of-ten type of day. Not worth the paddle.

Through the weekend, it stays messy. Saturday and Sunday have winds in the 12-16 mph range, all onshore or cross-onshore, keeping it lumpy and poor. The swell is 4-4ft, periods around 13-15 seconds. The energy is moderate, hovering between 293 and 689. It’s just flat-out bad.

Then we get to the first of September, Tuesday morning. This is where things get wild but not in a good way. A strong breeze from the northwest at 28 mph rips through, cross-onshore, making it a total washing machine. The swell is only 3ft, but the wind is just destroying any hope. This pattern of strong winds and poor surf continues into the second week. Wednesday the 2nd has another pulse of 6ft with a 15-second period, energy at 2448, but again it's onshore and messy. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th get even bigger – 7ft on Thursday afternoon, 7-7ft on Friday – but with strong westerly and northwesterly winds, some hitting 25-31 mph, it's just blown-out chaos. This is not surfable for anyone. At this point, with the swell size and the wind, it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing down there.

The real beast shows up on Sunday, the 6th. We’re looking at 10ft swell with a near gale, then a severe gale in the afternoon with winds hitting 47 mph from the west. This is a serious, serious storm swell. And it’s completely unsurfable. No one should be out there. Monday the 7th is a bit less wild, but still 8ft with a fresh to strong breeze, still onshore and poor.

Tuesday the 8th has the biggest energy number of the entire period – 4725 – with an 8ft, 16-second groundswell. If we had any kind of offshore wind, this would be an absolute standout. But we don't. It’s a fresh cross-onshore breeze at 19 mph, making it lumpy. It’s a tease of epic proportions. The period is long, 16 seconds, which is great for shape and energy, but that wind just kills it. This spot is a beach and reef setup, and that size with that wind is just a mess.

The rest of the run, the 9th and 10th, just fades out with poor conditions and dropping swell back down to 2-3ft.

So, the short version: there are no good surf options in this entire 16-day window. The surf breaks are fairly consistent at Norman Bay, so it tends not to stay poor for long, but this run is just a write-off. The constant onshore and cross-onshore winds from the west and northwest are the main culprit, just ruining every pulse of swell that comes through. Forecasts can change, and I’d usually say keep an eye on it, but right now, you’d be better off finding another hobby. I’m not seeing any standouts, nothing even close. It’s a full strike-out.

Stay dry, and we’ll get them next time.

Rusty.

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