North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks for North Beach. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and I’ll be straight with you – there’s some real frustration ahead, but also a couple of windows that could be worth the wait.

The first call is for Monday afternoon, 24th August. We’ve got a 3ft swell from the S, but it’s pretty weak with combined energy of just 186. The wind is cross-on from the ENE at 9 mph, which is making things a bit choppy. The water is sitting at 71°, which is bang on average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there. Honestly, this one’s a skip – the surf is poor and the conditions aren’t doing it any favours.

Tuesday 25th sees a shift. The morning offers a 3ft SW swell, but with a very long period of 16 seconds, giving it a solid 391 energy. The wind is cross from the S at 9 mph, but it’s still a bit lumpy. The afternoon is similar, with a 2ft S swell and an even longer 18-second period, energy jumping to 542. The wind stays cross, but the surf is still only marginal. It’s a tease – you can see the quality potential in the swell, but the conditions aren’t quite locking in.

Wednesday 26th morning is the first real standout. Swell is 4ft from the S, period a massive 18 seconds, and the energy is now 787. There’s a light breeze from the S at 6 mph, making it a light cross-shore with just small wind ripples. This is clean, it’s got some push, and that long period groundswell will make for some nice, lined-up waves. The water is still 71°. This is the best bet in the first week. The afternoon gets a bit bigger – 5ft – but the wind swings slightly cross-on, so it’s a little less clean.

Then things go south. From Thursday 27th through to Sunday 30th, the wind cranks onshore from the NE, gusting up to 28 mph. The swell builds to 12ft, but the energy is off the charts (over 1800) and it’s just a choppy, messy mess. This is kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The period drops to 8-10 seconds, making it short and lumpy. The water temperature is still around 71°, but you won’t be enjoying it. There’s a gap of about four days of no good surf here.

Monday 31st morning is a bit of a reprieve, but the wind is strong from the S at 19 mph, cross-shore, and it’s lumpy. The afternoon sees a cross-off breeze from the SSW, which cleans it up, but the swell is only 4ft from the E, with 417 energy. It’s clean, but small. Tuesday 1st September morning has an onshore wind from the ENE, and it’s not great. Afternoon sees a risk of thunderstorms, but the wind drops to nearly nothing (ESE 3 mph) and the swell is 4ft from the E, period 9 seconds. It’s marginal, but the lack of wind might make it rideable.

The second week is a bit of a wild card. The 4th of September has a big swell – 8ft to 10ft from the S and SSE, with periods around 11 seconds and energy over 1700. The wind is cross-off from the SW, which is clean, but the swell is simply too big for North Beach. It’s pushing 10ft, which is expert-only territory. The 5th is similar, with 10ft swell and cross-off winds, but again, it’s too big. The 8th of September sees a 10ft swell from the ENE with a 9-second period, combined energy 2395, and barely any wind. Again, too big for this spot.

The only real hope in the second week is the 7th of September morning. Swell is 5ft from the E, period 9 seconds, energy 363, and the wind is light from the S at 6 mph, cross-off, making it clean. It’s not huge, but it’s surfable and clean. The afternoon gets messy again.

So, the standout is Wednesday 26th August morning. The second possibility is the 7th of September morning, but it’s a lot smaller and less certain.

Overall, North Beach is a fairly consistent spot, but this run is rough. The long-range swell is there, but it’s too big for the break. Keep an eye on the forecasts – it tends not to stay poor for too long.

Rusty.

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