North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what North Beach has in store for us over the coming weeks. It's a bit of a mixed bag, so let's get into it.

The outlook kicks off on Friday morning, August 7th, but honestly, it’s a non-starter. We’ve got tiny 2ft easterly swell with a weak energy reading (176), and the wind is a light cross-shore. The surf is just poor, so don't bother paddling out. That same flat, weak pattern sticks around all through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Saturday the 8th sees a bump in wind to a moderate 12-15 mph from the NE, chopping up the already small 4ft swell (313 combined energy). It’s a write-off.

We finally get a pulse of something bigger on Monday the 10th. A solid 8ft south swell rolls in with a strong energy reading of 1190. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the SSW, so the faces will look tidy. However, at 8ft, this is getting into expert-only territory, especially at a beach/pier setup like North Beach. The period is a short 8-9 seconds, so it'll be a bit lumpy and sectiony. The conditions are described as "marginal," and the scores reflect that. It's a powerful swell, but not the easiest to surf.

Tuesday the 11th holds similar energy (848-1037) with a 7-8ft swell from the SSE, still with clean cross-offshore winds. Again, it's big and raw, best left for the experienced crew. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Wednesday the 12th drops a little to 6-6ft from the SE, and the wind goes super light, almost glassy on Wednesday afternoon. The combined energy is moderate at 688-735, and the description shifts to "expect very good surf conditions" for that afternoon session. This is your standout window. The swell direction (SE) matches the optimum (SE) perfectly, and with light winds, it’ll be clean and fun. It's still a solid size, so intermediate surfers will have a ball.

Thursday the 13th through Sunday the 16th sees the swell hanging in the 5ft to 8ft range, but the wind swings to a consistent cross-onshore from the NE. It’s choppy and messy, taking the shine off what could be decent waves. The period stretches to 10-12 seconds, suggesting some groundswell energy, but that onshore breeze just kills it. The big 8ft pulse on Saturday the 15th (1712 combined energy) is a monster, but with NE winds, it’s going to be a washing machine.

The second week, from the 17th onwards, looks pretty average. We see NE cross-onshore winds dominating, with swell dropping from 6ft down to 3ft by the 20th. Energy levels drop into the low hundreds. It’s not looking great for a paddle. From the 21st into the 22nd, a new S swell tries to push through (7ft with a very long 13-second period, energy 1438), but it’s met with strong NE cross-onshore winds. The combination of a long period groundswell and onshore wind at a beach break usually means closeouts and a tough paddle. Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days.

So, the standout is definitely Wednesday afternoon, August 12th. Clean, moderate energy, and the swell direction is spot on. The rest of the window is either too small, too windy, or too big and messy to get truly excited about.

Rusty, signing off.

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