North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right from the start, this is looking a bit grim. North Beach is copping a lot of wind and the forecasts are just not lining up for a proper surf. We’ve got a run of days here where it’s just not worth paddling out, with the cross-onshore winds chopping everything up and the swell not having any quality to it. It’s a bit of a bummer, but that's the coast for you.

The next couple of days are a write-off. Thursday and Friday have moderate cross-onshore breezes and weak, messy surf. The swell is coming from the east, but it’s short-period stuff, around 8-9 seconds, and it's not doing anything for the break. You’d be fighting the wind for nothing.

Saturday and Sunday stay poor. The swell drops right off, down to 3ft on Saturday and then a weird 2ft on Sunday morning with a long 18-second period, but that’s not doing anything for us with that cross-onshore wind. By Sunday afternoon, the wind picks up and it just gets lumpy.

Then we have the first real pulse of energy Monday the 14th, but it’s a complete mess. The swell is building – we’re looking at 12ft by the afternoon – but the wind is howling from the northeast at near gale force. The combined energy is strong (2215), but it’s blown out, onshore, and totally unsurfable. That is purely for the crazies, and even then, it’s not a good look.

We get a brief window on the 15th, Tuesday morning. The wind drops right back to a light breeze, and the swell is a clean 6ft from the east with 9-second period. The energy is moderate (571), but the text says it’s marginal and the tide might be all wrong. It’s the first time you could even consider it, but it's not a call I’d be rushing to make. If you’re desperate, it’s the only chance you’ll get.

The week after that is just a long, drawn-out tease. Wednesday the 16th gets blown out again, and Thursday the 17th has some bigger swell but the wind is either howling or coming from the wrong direction. The wind does go offshore a bit, but it’s a strong breeze or a near gale, so it's going to be howling. The whole stretch from the 16th to the 21st is just a mess of onshore, cross-onshore, and blowing winds. There’s swell in the water, but it’s all stormy and chopped up.

Now, I’m not one to write off a whole two weeks, but this is looking pretty bleak. There is one day that catches my eye, and it’s a long way off. We’re looking at the 22nd of September. The data shows a 6ft south swell with a 12-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, and the wind is a gentle 9 mph cross-offshore. Now, it’s light rain and not perfect, but that’s the first time we see that combination of a decent, longer-period swell with clean wind. The energy is also strong (1048). It’s promising, but it’s over a week away, so don’t bank on it. It’s a long-range call, and we’ve seen how quick these forecasts can change. Everything before that is just not worth it. There’s a little bump of energy on the 24th and 25th, but at 8ft to 12ft with that forcing cross-onshore wind, it’s just going to be a washing machine.

To be honest, there's one day that stands out as the best of a bad bunch, and that’s the morning of the 22nd. With that long-period south swell and light offshore, it might just be okay. But I echo what I said, it’s a long way out, so treat it with caution.

Stay tuned, lads. It’s bound to turn around eventually.

Rusty

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