North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at North Beach.

The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle session. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, or blown-out conditions, so don’t get your hopes up for any quick fixes. The best bet by a long shot is a window that shows up on the morning of Friday, September 4th, but it’s a tricky one.

The pattern starts with a pulse on Saturday, August 29th. The morning brings a 7ft swell from the ENE, but it’s a short-period 8 seconds and a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore wind from the NE makes it lumpy and messy. The combined swell energy is moderate at 876. By the afternoon, it’s even worse with 10ft and a strong 25 mph wind. Water temp is 71°, which is about average for the time of year. Sunday, the 30th, cleans up a bit with a cross-offshore wind, but the swell drops to 5ft. It’s still marginal. Monday and Tuesday are poor with light onshore winds and weak energy. Wednesday, September 2nd, has a clean look with a 6ft SSW swell and a 19 mph cross-offshore wind, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’s not packing much punch. The energy is only 393.

Then, on Thursday, September 3rd, it goes flat. The morning shows just 2ft of swell and a combined energy of 74. That’s a dead zone.

The standout: Friday, September 4th, the morning is the only real highlight. We’re looking at a 10ft swell from the SSE with a 9-second period. That’s a solid size, but it’s teetering on the edge of *too big* for this spot. The wind is a clean 19 mph cross-offshore from the SSW, so the wave faces will be clean. The combined energy is a massive 3063, which is very strong. However, the data says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. That puts it firmly in the expert-only zone. If you’re not comfortable in heavy, dumping surf, sit this one out. The afternoon turns ugly with a cross-onshore wind.

After that, the second week falls apart. From Saturday, September 5th, through to Saturday, September 12th, it’s a mess of strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy, blown-out surf. The periods get long, hitting 15-16 seconds from the S, but that’s a long-period groundswell that’s going to detonate straight on this beach break, making it unruly. The wind is wrong for North Beach, and the combined energy is moderate to strong, but it’s wasted. The final days on the 13th of September are just more of the same: big onshore winds and messy conditions.

So, to sum it up: there’s a big, expert-only window on the morning of Friday, September 4th. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for a clean, fun paddle. If the wind ever flips, this place could be fun, but for now, the setup looks more interesting for kiting than surfing.

Rusty out.

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