North Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, I won’t sugar-coat it—this is a tough run for North Bar. We’re looking at a 16-day stretch that’s mostly a write-off, with barely a whisper of ridable surf. The first real hint of anything usable doesn’t pop up until Wednesday the 19th of August, and even then, it’s ordinary at best. There’s a long, flat gap before that with nothing worth paddling out for.

For the first week and a bit, the swell is tiny—mostly 0.3ft to 1ft—with poor conditions and zero scores. Winds are all over the place, and the wave energy is weak, with combined energy values hanging between 2 and 19 (weak). Thursday the 13th and Saturday the 15th see some light offshore breezes, but with nothing underneath, it’s just a clean flat spell.

The first and only standout worth mentioning is Wednesday morning, the 19th of August. We finally get a bit of life: a 2ft swell from the SE with an 11-second period, combined energy of 113 (moderate). It’s small, but the wind is offshore from the SSW at 12 mph, so it’ll be clean and glassy. This is a fairly consistent beach and reef break, so it can hold a little shape. The water temp is about 71°, which is normal for this time of year—no anomaly to speak of. It’s best for intermediates; beginners will find it okay since the swell is under 5ft. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might have company.

Later that week, Thursday the 20th gets a strong offshore—25 to 31 mph—but that wind is so strong it’s near gale force, making it a real battle to paddle into anything. Not worth it.

Heading into the second week, Monday the 24th of August shows a bit more promise with a 2ft SSE swell and an offshore breeze, but the wave energy is still modest at 78 (weak). Tuesday the 25th morning brings a 3ft SE swell, period 7 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze and energy of 82—still just surfable but ordinary.

Then things get weird on Wednesday the 26th of August. The swell jumps to 6ft from the ESE, with an 8-second period and combined energy hitting 439 (strong). That’s proper size for this break, but the wind is onshore or cross-shore and the conditions are messy. It’s a beach and reef setup, and with that short period, it’ll be a bit of a closeout—more of a challenge for experts only. Beginners should stay well clear, as 6ft is over the 5ft mark for them. The following days drop back to 5ft to 5ft but with onshore winds and choppy surf, so no joy there.

In short: the best bet is Wednesday the 19th of August morning for a tiny, clean session. The bigger stuff later on is for experienced surfers only and comes with poor conditions. There are long gaps of flatness, particularly from now until the 19th, so don’t hold your breath. Keep an eye on the forecasts—sometimes a blank run like this can change.

Rusty.

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