North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into what's happening for North Beach.

Honestly, the 16-day window is a tough slog. We’ve got a lot of surf coming through, but the wind and conditions are just not playing ball for most of it. You’ll see some solid swell, but it’s almost always blowing onshore or cross-shore, making a mess of things. There’s no standout classic session, but there are a couple of windows where things line up.

The best bet of the whole period is a Thursday morning (the 5th of September) session. We’ve got a clean 7 ft swell easing from the SSE, combined with a moderate wave energy of 981. The wind is nearly non-existent from the ENE at just 3 mph, which is almost glassy. It will be light wind ripples, but it’ll be the cleanest the wave face gets. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so a good 4/3 is your friend here.

The build-up to that isn't great. We start with a small 3 ft SSW groundswell (16-second period) on Wednesday (2nd September), but with a light cross-shore it's just marginal and barely worth getting wet for.

Thursday (3rd September) is a write-off with powerful NE winds and a short-period chop. Friday sees a big jump in size – an 8 ft S swell hits the morning with 22 mph cross-offshore winds, making it clean but big and powerful for the average punter. By the afternoon, a 10 ft S swell (1712 energy) gets chewed up by a 22 mph cross-shore. That 10 ft swell is a beast and only for experts, but the wind kills it.

After the Thursday 5th morning window, things get messy again. Saturday and Sunday are blown out by onshore wind and lumpy conditions. Monday (7th) sees the biggest energy of the period – a long-period 7 ft S swell with 17 seconds and a massive 2945 energy score – but it’s pinned down by a 22 mph cross-onshore. That wave has serious power, but it’s going to be a washing machine. The long period will make it a bit wonky at a beach break like this, but the energy is undeniable for those who want to battle the wind.

The rest of the first week is just more of the same: solid swell sizes getting hammered by wind. We then hit a gap of almost no redeemable surf from the 8th through the 13th where the onshore wind is a constant factor.

You have to wait until the 14th of September for another look. Monday morning (14th) brings a 4 ft S groundswell at a very long 14 seconds, with a light onshore flow and moderate energy of 964. It’s still messy, but the potential for some of that long-period energy to push through is there. The 15th of September morning offers a 6 ft NE swell, but again, onshore winds are the story. The 16th and 17th are the same story with onshore or strong offshore winds.

Frankly, for the kitesurfers out there, the afternoon of Friday the 4th (10 ft S, 22 mph cross-shore) and Monday the 7th (7 ft S, 22 mph cross-onshore) look way more fun on a kite than a surfboard.

The long-range stuff late in the second week (mid-September) has that long-period energy on the 14th, but it’s all low-quality at the moment. Keep an eye on it, but don't plan a trip.

All in all, look to the morning of the 5th of September for the cleanest surf of the run, even if it's not the biggest.

Rusty.

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