North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it.

We’re looking at a pretty bleak run for North Beach over the next 16 days. The surf starts off small and messy, and while there’s a big pulse of energy mid-period, it’s just too much for this spot. The water temp is sitting at 71°F which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

For the first week, from Friday the 7th right through to Sunday the 16th of August, it’s a struggle. Early on, we’ve got tiny waves around 2ft from the east with a weak 9-second period and cross-onshore winds. The combined energy is a meagre 160 (160 units) – just not enough to get excited about. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th stay poor with onshore breezes and lumpy conditions. The swell tries to pick up on Monday the 10th, but it’s a solid 10ft from the south – that’s far too big for North Beach, and the wind is howling at 25 mph. Even though the wind is clean and cross-offshore, that much power is just going to close out and be unsafe for anyone but the most experienced. That energy is massive, peaking at 1896 (1896 units), but it’s not for us.

The middle of the week (11th to 14th) stays oversized with 7ft to 10ft swell and strong winds, and the combined energy stays well into the thousands. The wind is clean, but the swell is just too fat and powerful. The standout for the whole period, if you’re an expert, is Wednesday the 12th of August afternoon. You’ve got 10ft of SE swell, 10-second period, and a clean, cross-off breeze. The energy is 1657 (1657 units) – proper heavy. But honestly, for North Beach, this is a “look but don’t paddle” situation unless you’ve got a lot of experience and a big board.

The second week gets a bit more manageable size-wise, but the quality is still off. From Saturday the 15th of August, we see 8ft from the ESE with a longer 11-second period and light NE winds, but it’s cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. The energy is still high at 1830 (1830 units). By Sunday the 16th, it drops to 6ft and the wind swings clean, but the energy drops to 605 (605 units) – it’s better but still just marginal. From Monday the 17th onwards, it gets small and weak again, with waves under 4ft and energy dropping to 300 (300 units) and below. The last little flicker is on Friday the 21st of August morning, with a 8ft NE swell and an 8-second period, light onshore wind, and energy of 1277 (1277 units), but it’s short-period and messy.

The bottom line – there’s no real “go” window here. The swell is either too small, too big, or blown out. The biggest cleanest swell is too heavy for this beach break, and when it’s small it’s just not worth it. If you’re desperate, the cleanest conditions come with the bigger swells, but that’s more of a kite-surfing playground than a paddler’s dream. Keep an eye on the 12th of August if you’re an expert, but for everyone else, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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