Norries Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve got to be straight with you – the next 16 days around Norries Head are a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, there’s no proper standout session that’ll have you ringing in sick. We’re dealing with a long run of small, pretty average surf, with only a few brief windows of cleanish conditions to make it worth a paddle.

The combined swell energy kicks off weak at 71 (moderate energy) on Saturday morning, bumping up to the low-to-mid hundreds during the week, but it never really fires. The water temp is sitting at 69°F, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Let’s start with Saturday the 22nd of August. Morning has a small 3 ft swell from the ENE with a short period of 7 seconds. The wind is light offshore from the west at 3 mph, so it’ll be clean, but the waves are small and weak. It’s rideable but pretty ordinary – a score of just 1 out of 10 tells you it’s not much to get excited about. Afternoon stays similar, still clean but same size and energy.

Sunday the 23rd is a write-off. Southerly winds kick up a cross-shore breeze, and the conditions are poor. Monday the 24th morning looks poor again, but Monday afternoon brings a glimmer – glassy conditions, light offshore, and a clean surf with moderate wave energy (109). Still only 3 ft, but if you’re desperate for a wave without chop, that’s your window.

Tuesday the 25th morning offers a clean 3 ft with cross-offshore wind from the north at 3 mph, and the energy climbs to 141 – the best we’ve seen so far. Afternoon gets ruined by a 9 mph cross-shore. Wednesday the 26th has clean mornings and afternoons with offshore or cross-off winds, size around 3-4 ft from the NE/ENE, and decent energy (161, 147). This is probably the best stretch of the first week – small but workable, and the period stays at 8 seconds, so nothing special.

Thursday the 27th onwards turns choppy as south-easterlies blow cross-onshore, and despite the energy climbing to 244 (strong), the quality drops. Friday the 28th morning is glassy, but the swell is only 3 ft from the east. Saturday the 29th morning also glassy with 3 ft from the east, period stretching to 9 seconds – that’s a slightly longer period, suggesting a bit more push, but still small.

From Sunday the 30th of August into early September, it’s a long run of poor conditions. Winds are mostly from the south at 9-16 mph, cross-onshore, and the swell stays around 3-4 ft. The combined energy fluctuates, but the texture is choppy. There’s a brief clean window on Tuesday the 1st of September morning with a 3 ft cross-off from the NNW, but it’s tiny. The 3rd and 4th of September see moderate breezes, but the swell drops off, and the quality is poor.

For the second week, from the 30th of August onward, it’s pretty grim. The best bet across the whole outlook is Wednesday the 26th of August – clean, 4 ft from the NE with offshore wind, and moderate energy (161). It’s small, but it’s the most surfable. Keep in mind this spot is inconsistent and often has crowds, and the optimum swell direction is NE, which matches up nicely for that day. For beginners, the 3-4 ft range is fine, and there’s nothing over 5 ft in the whole run, so no worries about it being too big.

Overall, it’s a quiet period. The surf is small and mostly ordinary. If you’re keen, aim for Wednesday the 26th or any of the glassy morning windows. Otherwise, it’s a good time to clean the wax off your board and wait.

Rusty

Read more