Norries Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window for Norries Head is a real struggle. We’re looking at a long, flat run where the swell just doesn’t show up with any quality. The first surfable moment doesn’t pop up until Wednesday, September 2nd, and even then it’s barely a whisper.

The whole pattern is a tale of tiny, weak east swells getting hammered by onshore or cross-shore winds most days. The combined wave energy is mostly in the double digits, very weak, only pushing into the low 100s on a couple of days but that’s when the wind is messy. There’s a long gap of nothing worth paddling out for from the start, right through to Tuesday, September 1st.

The first real chance is Wednesday, September 2nd morning. Norries Head is a point, but it’s inconsistent and often crowded. The swell is a tiny 2ft from the east with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is a weak 74. The good news is we get a clean cross-offshore wind from the NNW. It’s surfable but very ordinary – you’ll be scratching for little 2ft waves by the afternoon. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Thursday, September 3rd morning is a repeat: 2ft east swell, 9-second period, clean cross-off wind from the NNW. Energy is 61. Again, surfable but nothing to get excited about, and it drops off in the afternoon.

Then we hit another flat spell. Friday and Saturday, September 4th and 5th, are tiny with poor conditions. Sunday, September 6th, the swell jumps to 4ft from the north, but it’s a short-period, messy wind swell with a 6-second period, and the wind is onshore. The energy hits 127 (moderate), but it’s poor surf. Monday, September 7th, is similar – 4ft to 5ft from the north-northeast, short period, onshore wind, and the energy climbs to 227. That’s not paddle surf, that’s a washing machine. Honestly, for a beach and reef setup like this, with that kind of wind and short-period junk, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than a proper paddle session.

The rest of the run from September 8th onward is back to tiny, weak east swells, with a few clean mornings but barely enough water to wet your board. The only standout window is the clean, cross-off mornings on Wednesday, September 2nd and Thursday, September 3rd. They’re the best on offer, but they’re still very small. If you’re a beginner, the 2ft stuff is fine, but the crowds are likely, so plan accordingly. For the rest of us, it’s a long wait for better days.

Rusty.

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