North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what North Beach has on offer over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead. We’ve got some solid, powerful swell on the way, but the wind is going to be our enemy for most of it, and when the wind does ease, the swell can get too heavy for this spot. There’s a glimmer of hope if you time it right, but you’ll need to pick your moments carefully.

The whole window starts with a decent spike of energy, but it’s pretty much all cross-on wind for days. The water temp at North Beach is sitting at 70°F, which is bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there.

The best chance to get wet looks like the morning of Wednesday, August 26th. We’ve got a long-period groundswell rolling in from the south, around 4ft, with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy is strong at 1069, so there’s plenty of push, but that long period means it’ll be a bit more lined up and better for a point or reef than a beach break. The wind is a light cross-off from the SSW at 9 mph, keeping it clean. For an intermediate surfer, this is the standout session – just know it might close out a bit on the shifty banks. Expect some crowds too, as it can get busy here.

That afternoon on the 26th, the swell jumps to 7ft, but the wind swings onshore and the tide looks dodgy. After that, from Thursday the 27th right through to the morning of Monday the 31st of August, it’s a write-off. The wind is strong and cross-on from the NE, ripping the waves apart, making it lumpy and messy. It’s a solid 4-5 day gap with no good surf to speak of.

We get a brief, quiet window on Monday morning, August 31st. The swell drops to 4ft from the east, with a slight cross breeze and very low wave energy (382). It’s rideable but pretty weak and marginal. Tuesday afternoon, September 1st, looks interesting for a quick session: the wind goes glassy, and there’s a short-period 5ft pulse from the ENE. The energy is still weak (408), and the period’s only 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit soft and choppy on the face, but glassy conditions are a major positive. Not a standout, but it’s surfable.

Then we hit another quiet patch. From the 2nd to the 4th of September, the swell drops away completely, with tiny waves and poor conditions. That’s a few more days of nothing.

The second week gets spicy, but dangerous. On Friday, September 4th, the swell builds fast. The morning is marginal with 6ft from the south, but the afternoon is a monster: 10ft from the SSE, with a combined energy of 1956 – that’s very strong. The wind is cross-on and it’s forecast to be too big for this break. Only for experts, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine.

Saturday and Sunday, September 5th and 6th, keep the 10ft swell going but with horrible cross-on wind. Monday, September 7th, the swell is still huge at 10ft, but the wind finally shifts cross-off from the south. The energy is off the charts (2662 and 2377). Again, wind and tide are favorable, but the size is simply too big for North Beach to handle well. It will be a foamy, closed-out mess for anyone but the most seasoned charger.

After that, the last few days of the forecast are small and messy, with poor conditions. There’s just no good window in that final week.

So, to sum it up: grab the Wednesday morning, August 26th, for a clean, powerful, long-period south swell if you’re an intermediate or above. Keep an eye on Tuesday afternoon, September 1st, for a glassy but weak little session. Everything else is either blown out, too small, or way too big for this break. For the size and wind we see here, a kite surfer would have a field day on most of those afternoons.

Stay tuned – forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a lean run.

Rusty.

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