North Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: for the next two and a half weeks, North Bar is not exactly putting on a show. We’ve got a long, flat, and frustrating gap from now until late August, with nothing but tiny, weak slop and poor conditions. Don’t bother paddling out until we get to the very end of the month.

We finally see a small pulse of life on Saturday morning, August 29th. Even then, it’s just surfable but very ordinary. That south swell pushes in at around 3 ft, with a short, weak period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is just moderate at 118. The wind is light and offshore from the WSW, so it’ll be clean, but honestly, this is only for the die-hards who just need to get wet. The break is fairly consistent, but the quality is poor. It’s not a standout.

The only real window that might get your hopes up is around Monday afternoon, August 31st. The swell is still tiny at 1 ft, but the period stretches out to a very long 17 seconds, bringing a touch of real groundswell energy (100 combined energy). The wind goes light offshore from the SW, so it’ll be glassy clean. But with a break that’s a beach and reef setup, that long period swell is going to stand up straight and won’t offer much shape. It’s a tease, not a standout.

Looking deeper into the first week of September, the energy builds but the quality falls apart. On Wednesday morning, September 2nd, we see a moderate 3 ft swell from the SE with a 12-second period and combined energy of 209. That’s a proper long-period groundswell, and the wind is light cross-off from the SSE, so it’s clean. This is probably the best on offer across the whole forecast. But again, for a beach-and-reef break, that long period might make it too straight, and it’s only 3 ft. It’s not a ripper, just the least bad of a bad lot.

For the second week, things get messier. We see bigger swell (4 ft to 4 ft) from the east and south around September 4th through 7th, but the wind is either onshore, cross-shore, or just plain wrong. The combined energy jumps into the strong range (217 to 440), but it’s all short-period, onshore junk. The break will be choppy and blown out. Not worth the drive.

Water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

Honestly, for this stretch, the best bet is Wednesday morning, September 2nd at North Bar. It’s a clean, long-period groundswell, but it’s small. If you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your window. Otherwise, save the petrol.

Rusty.

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