North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what North Beach has lined up for us over the next couple of weeks.

Straight off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – the start is a bit of a dud. There’s nothing worth paddling out for right away. We’ve got a few days of waiting ahead of us, from Sunday the 23rd right through to Tuesday the 26th. It’s not all bad news though, because Wednesday the 26th is where things start to look interesting.

Wednesday the 26th of August, early morning, it’s still pretty small at 3 ft from the SSW with a *very* long period of 18 seconds. The wind is a light cross-offshore, so the surface is clean. That long period makes it a groundswell, which will really hold up on a beach break like North Beach, so don’t expect it to wall up perfectly. Combined energy is moderate at 525. Not the pick of the trip, but a sign of life.

Then Wednesday afternoon is the real standout for this first week. Swell jumps to 5 ft from the S, period at 18 seconds, combined energy is strong at 1383. Wind is still cross-off and clean. This is prime intermediate territory – not too big, not too small, and beautifully groomed. For experienced surfers it’s a gem, just keep an eye on those long-period sets which can be a bit shiftier at a beach break. This is the session to circle on your calendar.

After that, Thursday the 27th turns ugly real fast. Strong cross-onshore winds from the NE up to 28 mph chop everything to bits, and that mess carries on through the whole weekend. Swell sizes get big – 7 ft, 10 ft, even 11 ft on Sunday the 30th – but it’s all blown out, short period junk from the ENE. Combined energy is massive, hitting 1864 on Sunday afternoon, but with those onshores and short period (8-9 seconds), it’s really more of a kite-surfing show than anything a paddler would enjoy.

We get a slight reset around Monday the 31st, but it’s still only marginal. 7 ft from the S, period dropping to 8 seconds, and a cross-shore wind that leaves a chop on the surface. Not worth getting excited about.

The first week of September is mostly a write-off. Small, onshore winds, poor quality. There’s a little blip on Thursday the 3rd of September morning – 5 ft from the ENE, 10 second period, light offshore from the NW, clean conditions. Combined energy is moderate at 437. It’s not a standout, but if you’re desperate it’s the most user-friendly window in that stretch.

Now looking further ahead, into the second week, the real promise is Sunday the 6th of September. Sunday morning brings 6 ft from the S with a very long period of 17 seconds, combined energy is very strong at 1750. Wind is a moderate cross-shore, so there’ll be some chop on it, but the energy is there. Sunday afternoon drops slightly to 5 ft from the S, period 15 seconds, with a fresh cross-offshore wind that cleans it up nicely. Still, the long period at a beach break can make it wall up a bit straight, but the power is undeniable.

Then Monday the 7th of September looks tidy. Morning sees 4 ft from the S, period 13 seconds, combined energy 716, with a light cross-offshore wind leaving clean faces. The afternoon holds similar size and period, with light cross-shore winds. It’s not huge, but it’s clean and surfable – a good way to close out the forecast window.

Overall, there’s a decent window around Wednesday the 26th and into the following week, especially Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th of September. The best quality is Wednesday the 26th afternoon – that’s the one to aim for. Everything else is either blown out, marginal, or waiting for that clean window to arrive.

Rusty.

Read more