North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m staring down the forecast for North Beach.

The next 16 days look like a bit of a mixed bag, with some real tempting windows, but also a lot of noise to wade through. The first good surf on offer is kicking off right away, but be warned, the early part of the week is a battle with the wind and swell quality.

Starting with Tuesday the 28th, we’ve got a solid 6ft S swell rolling in at 7 seconds. That’s a short period, weak energy swell (538), and it’s coming with a strong 22 mph cross-off shore wind. The combined energy is moderate, but that short period means the waves will be a bit lumpy and weak. The water temp is sitting at 73°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year, so it’s a touch warmer than average.

The real standout of the entire forecast is Wednesday morning, the 29th. That’s the one to circle. We’ve got an 8ft SSE swell with a 9-second period, which is a decent, powerful groundswell. The combined energy is a massive 2166, so there’s plenty of punch. The wind is a light 9 mph cross-off, which will keep the face clean. That’s the best wave of the whole run, but it’s going to be a solid 8ft, so this is for the experienced crew. Beginners will want to sit this one out. The crowd situation at North Beach is “sometimes,” so you might have company, but that’s not a surprise for a spot that’s fairly consistent.

The rest of the week is a bit of a grind. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday see the swell drop a little, but the wind cranks up to 22 mph, making it a messy, cross-off chop. Friday morning has another 8ft spike, but the wind is still strong. The real golden moment arrives on Saturday morning, August 1st. The wind goes glassy, dead calm at 3 mph from the SSE. That’s a massive positive. The swell is 6ft from the ESE at 10 seconds, with moderate energy (835). It’s going to be clean, glassy, and beautiful. That’s a very close second standout.

After that, from Sunday the 2nd all the way through the 7th, it’s a slow, poor-quality run. The swell drops below 3ft, and the wind goes onshore or cross-on, creating choppy, poor conditions. The surf is basically dead from the 5th to the 7th, with tiny waves and poor wind. That’s a pretty blank stretch of about 4-5 days in the middle of the forecast.

Then, we get a little pulse on the 8th, but it’s weak and short period. The next real event is on the 10th of August, with a 7ft NE swell, but it’s coming with a cross-on wind. The 12th of August is a massive red flag: an 12ft to 13ft SSW swell predicted, with a very long period of 13 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 5130. That’s way too big for North Beach, and the forecast is very clear that it’s too big for this break. That’s a day for experts only, and even then, it might be a washing machine. The swell direction (SSW) is also not the optimum for this spot (SE), so it’ll be a bit raw.

So, to wrap it up: the best bet is Wednesday morning the 29th for the biggest, most powerful swell with good wind. The second best is Saturday morning August 1st for the glassy, clean conditions. The rest of the time is either too windy, too small, or too big. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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