North Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the surf outlook for North Street. Let’s get straight into it.

Honestly, it's a pretty grim picture for the next couple of weeks. The swell energy is stuck in the double digits, mostly hanging around the 18 to 58 range (weak energy), with only a couple of late spikes pushing up into the 70s and 90s, and even then the surf quality stays poor. We’re looking at tiny, weak waves for the vast majority of the forecast period. There are long gaps where you’d be better off staying home. For the first week, from Sunday the 16th right through to Saturday the 22nd, the swell is barely a ripple. On Monday morning the 17th, there’s a tiny 3ft south swell, but it’s so short period at 6 seconds it’s just wind chop. The clearest spell comes Wednesday morning the 19th and Thursday morning the 20th when the wind goes glassy, but with the swell only 1.0ft to 1ft from the SE, you’re just floating. Nothing to ride.

The water temp is about 78° with a 2° positive anomaly – a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit, but you won’t need one anyway with no waves.

The following week doesn’t offer much hope either. The biggest pulse of the entire run shows up on the 27th of August, Thursday morning and afternoon, when the long-period SE swell pushes combined energy up to 79 and 98 (moderate wave energy). But the swell height is still only 1ft and 2ft. For point breaks this might be glassy, but here at North Street, a beach/jetty setup with a long 11-12 second period, it’s going to be weird and wobbly. The wind on Thursday afternoon is onshore, messing it up further.

If you’re desperate, the best window is probably Wednesday the 26th of August. The morning has a moderate cross-offshore NW breeze and a 2ft S swell with reasonable 7 second period, combined energy of 58 – weak, but at least clean. The afternoon rating improves to a “1” – the only surfable score in the whole run – with a 2ft S swell, 7 seconds, and a clean cross-offshore from the west, energy at 54. It’s ordinary conditions but the only time it’s not a complete waste. For an intermediate, it’ll be tiny and weak, but at least you’ll be paddling.

Other than that, you’re looking at 2-3 day gaps with zero to surf. Crowds at North Street can be an issue sometimes, but honestly, with this lack of swell, you’ll have the lineup to yourself.

From the 28th through to the 31st, it’s back to tiny 1ft-2ft swell, moderate to fresh cross-shore winds, and weak energy. Nothing worth chasing.

Bottom line: This is a tough stretch. There are no standout days – nothing even close. The only half-decent surf is a tiny window on Wednesday the 26th afternoon. Forecasts can change, but right now, the setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle.

Stay patient.

Rusty

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