North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board, let’s have a look at North Beach. The name of the game here is frustration. Over the next two weeks, we get teased with some decent swell energy but it’s almost always let down by gnarly winds or just the wrong conditions. The water temp is bang on average for the time of year at 70°, so no need for a thick wetsuit at least.

Right now and through the end of August, it’s a real struggle. The first solid push comes on the morning of Thursday the 20th with a south swell of 6 ft, period of 7 seconds, and moderate wave energy (535). But that 35 km/h cross-off wind is going to blow you sideways. Not the clean setup you want. The afternoon actually looks cleaner, but it drops to 5 ft and goes cross-shore. This gets a big thumbs down.

Friday the 21st holds some hope with a 4 ft south swell in the morning, period stretching to 13 seconds, which is long period groundswell, giving good shape. Combined energy is moderate at 542. But it’s cross-onshore from the NE and it’s not strong enough to overcome the chop. It’s a miss.

You’ve got to wait until the early morning of Sunday the 23rd. That’s the first real standout, but only for the committed. Swell jumps to 7 ft from the south, period 10 seconds, with moderate to strong combined energy (785). The wind is cross-off from the SSW at 20 km/h, making for a clean surface. This is a big, solid intermediate wave. Just keep in mind the long ride out – that period means longer gaps between sets. It’s a proper session. Just don’t paddle out if you’re a beginner; 7 ft is getting into the meaty zone.

After that, it’s a desert of poor conditions for many days. A lot of cross-onshore ENE winds chopping things up and short period slop. Nothing worth paddling out for until the afternoon of Saturday the 29th. That brings in a 5 ft southerly swell and 20 km/h cross-off winds from the SSW, which will clean it right up. The wave energy is moderate (310). It’s not a monster, but for a surfer wanting a clean, cruisy wave with no crowds, it’s your pick of the second week.

Fair warning: the first few days of September look rough. Strong cross-off winds and tiny swell. Then the morning of Wednesday, 2nd September, brings a surprise: a very long period 16-second groundswell from the SSW at just 2 ft, but the combined energy is moderate (458) because the period is so long. Winds are onshore and light from the ENE, which could make it glassy but the swell is just too small to get excited about.

To be honest, if you’ve got a kite, the setups on the 23rd and a few other windy days could be more fun than a paddle. For the regular surfer, mark your calendar for the morning of the 23rd of August. It’s the one chance for a proper, clean, solid wave. The rest is mostly a write-off.

Rusty.

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