North Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a paddle. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly messy conditions ahead, so don’t be holding out for any fireworks. The good news is that the water temp’s about normal for this time of year, nothing strange going on there.

We start off on Friday, the 3rd of July, and it’s a real quiet one at North Bar (beach and reef). Swell’s tiny at 1ft out of the SE, with a period of just 9 seconds. The combined energy is weak (23), and the wind is cross-off, but the waves are just too small and weak to bother with. That same story drags on through Saturday and into Sunday, the 5th of July – still 1ft of junky SE swell, poor conditions, and energy barely ticking above 20. It’s dead.

Monday the 6th of July sees a bit of a lift, but it’s nothing to get excited about. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the ESE, but the period drops to a horrible 5 seconds – that’s pure wind-slop. Combined energy is still weak (44), and the cross-shore wind is making a lumpy mess. Not worth it.

Tuesday the 7th of July starts off glassy in the morning with 1ft of SE swell, but the energy is only 24. It’s clean, sure, but it’s just not enough to push you around.

Then on Wednesday the 8th of July, the afternoon finally shows a flicker of life. Swell picks up to 3ft from the S, 8-second period, and combined energy climbs to a moderate 133. The wind is light and cross-off, so the wave face will be clean. The rating is still poor for surf quality, and the score is a 1, but it’s the best we’ve got for a while. Still, it’s only just surfable, and with a beach and reef setup, a 3ft south swell with a short period isn’t going to produce anything special. Don’t drive far for this.

Thursday the 9th of July drops right back down to 1.0ft SE swell – forget it. Friday the 10th of July sees another small bump, 3ft from the S with 7-second period (energy 108), but the quality remains poor. The wind is cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but it’s still just a weak, short-period wave. The same goes for Saturday the 11th: 4ft from the S (energy 159) but the period is still short at 8 seconds. Clean wind again, but just not enough power.

The second week is pretty bleak. Sunday the 12th of July has 3ft from the ESE with a 4-second period – that’s just a choppy mess, even with offshore wind. Monday the 13th of July offers 3ft from the S (7 seconds, energy 96) and moderate offshore wind, but again, it’s just ordinary surf. From Tuesday the 14th of July right through to Saturday the 18th of July, the swell collapses to 0.3ft to 3ft of weak SE or S swell, with combined energy rarely cracking 80. There’s a moment on Thursday the 16th with 3ft from the S (7 seconds, energy 81), but the wind is cross-off and it’s still just poor surf.

Overall, there’s no standout session here. The only half-decent window is Wednesday the 8th of July afternoon, with a clean 3ft S swell and moderate energy, but it’s a beach and reef setup with short period, so it won’t hold much shape. For beginners, the swell stays well under 5ft, so it’s not dangerous, but it’s also not fun. For the more experienced, there’s just not enough power. Honestly, with these small, weak swells and the beach setup, you might be better off looking at kites or just waiting for a proper groundswell to roll through. Forecasts can always change though.

Rusty.

Read more