Norries Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a slow start for Norries Head over the next 16 days, but there’s a couple of windows worth keeping an eye on. The first week is mostly a write-off with small, choppy, or messy conditions, but the second half of the outlook starts to show some promise. Let’s get into it.

Right from the get-go, Friday 11th September is flat—just 0.3 ft of weak easterly swell with a cross-onshore breeze, not worth paddling out for. The weekend doesn’t offer much either. Saturday 12th morning sees a jump to 6 ft, but it’s short-period SE swell at 8 seconds, cross-onshore wind, and the combined energy is only moderate at 374. It’s messy and poor. Saturday afternoon improves a touch with a lighter onshore wind and 5 ft, but the forecast’s still marginal at best. Sunday 13th stays poor with small, weak swell and onshore breezes.

Monday 14th morning is dead flat again with glassy conditions but only 1 ft of tiny ENE swell—barely a ripple. The pattern of tiny surf with cross-offshore or clean winds continues through Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th, but the swell is just too small to get excited about, all under 2 ft. Thursday 17th is almost flat with 0.3 ft and choppy onshore winds.

Now, things start to shift on Friday 18th September morning. We get a 7 ft SE swell, period 9 seconds, with a gentle cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy hits 701—moderate to strong—so there’s some push, but the wind isn’t doing us any favours and the surf quality is still rated marginal. The afternoon drops to 5 ft with light onshore wind, still not clean.

The standout window arrives on Saturday 19th September morning. Norries Head cleans right up—clear skies, light north cross-offshore wind, and a solid 4 ft of ESE groundswell with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy is 372, which is moderate. That’s a long-period swell, so expect longer gaps between sets, but the waves will have good shape and energy. This is a point break, so that long period should work nicely. The water temp sits at 70°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, with the anomaly only -0.4°. Early session looks clean and fun. The afternoon stays clean with cross-offshore wind and 4 ft, though the period drops to 9 seconds, so the morning is the pick.

After that, Sunday 20th September and Monday 21st September fade back to small, weak surf under 2 ft with clean winds but not enough swell to ride. Tuesday 22nd is almost flat again. The rest of the week through to Thursday 24th stays small, with occasional 2 ft to 3 ft clean waves but nothing worth getting wet for.

Friday 25th September morning brings a 4 ft NE swell, but it’s short-period at 6 seconds and cross-shore wind, making for poor quality. The energy is moderate at 154. Not great.

The last possible window is Saturday 26th September morning and afternoon. We see 7 ft of ENE swell, period 8 seconds, with light onshore wind. Combined energy is strong at 585—there’s plenty of water moving—but the onshore wind and short period will leave it bumpy. The forecast calls it marginal. For a point break, the long-period element is missing here, so it’s more of a messy, powerful option for experts only, as it’s over 7 ft.

Overall, the only real standout is Saturday 19th September morning—clean, cross-offshore wind, good 4 ft groundswell from the ESE, and moderate energy. That’s your best bet by a long shot. The rest of the window is either too small, too choppy, or too messy to recommend. Norries Head is an inconsistent spot, so a lean run like this isn’t unusual. Keep an eye on forecasts—things can change.

Rusty

Read more