North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking out North Beach for the next couple of weeks. It’s a beach and pier break, open to the swell, and the water’s about 70°, which is right where it should be for this time of year – nothing unusual.

The first week is a bit of a bummer, honestly. There’s some swell, but the wind is working against us. Friday the 14th has a 4ft easterly swell, but it’s cross-on and choppy. That pattern holds through the weekend – the swell builds to 5ft, 5ft, even 6ft on Sunday afternoon, but it’s all cross-on and messy. The energy is moderate to strong, but it doesn’t matter when the wind’s messing it up. There’s a gap of nothing decent until Monday afternoon the 17th.

Monday the 17th afternoon is the first real glimmer. The wind shifts to a light SSW breeze, 10 km/h, and it’s clean. The swell is 5ft from the east with a 10-second period. Energy is moderate. It’s not huge, but it’s the cleanest we’ve seen. This is the pick of the first week. Watch out for a few others in the water, though.

The next few days are marginal – small, weak, and not worth the drive. Tuesday the 18th drops to 4ft, Wednesday the 19th is 3ft, and the energy is low. There’s a long stretch of small, choppy surf.

Then, on Sunday the 23rd of August, things get serious. The morning shows a 6ft swell from the SSW, with a very long 16-second period. That’s a lot of power – the energy reading is 1897, which is strong. The wind is light and onshore from the ENE at 10 km/h, so it’s holding it together. This is a big, long-period groundswell. For a beach break, it can make the waves a bit straight and fast, but with that much juice, there will be some bombs. This is the standout of the whole forecast – a proper south swell. It’s over 5ft, so it’s not for beginners. This one’s for the experienced crew.

After that, the swell hangs around but the wind gets ugly again. Monday the 24th afternoon has a 7ft swell from the south with a 14-second period, but the cross-on wind from the NE at 25 km/h will chop it up. The rest of the week is a mix of moderate swells and poor wind.

Then, on Friday the 28th of August, the wind turns to a strong 35 km/h SSW cross-off, cleaning things up. The swell is 6ft from the NE, but the period is a short 7 seconds – that’s windswell, not groundswell. It’s clean, but it’s short-period and a bit lumpy. Still, a clean 6ft is better than a choppy one. Saturday the 29th stays clean with a 5ft swell, but it’s still short-period.

So, for your best sessions, go for Monday afternoon the 17th for a clean, fun wave, and Sunday morning the 23rd for the big, powerful south swell. The long-range stuff around the 28th is promising but less certain. Keep an eye on it.

- Rusty

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