North Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve scanned the charts for the next 16 days, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bleak stretch for North Street. The models are showing barely a whisper of swell for the vast majority of the period, and when there’s a little bump, the winds or conditions tend to stuff it up. There’s a massive gap of surfable potential from now, with basically nothing worth paddling out for until late in the window. Don’t hold your breath.

The first real glimmer shows up on Monday, August 26th, in the morning. We’ve got a little SSE swell pushing in at around 4 ft, with a short, weak period of 6 seconds. The combined swell energy is a modest 154 – not a powerhouse. The wind, however, is a WNW cross-offshore, so it’s clean, which is the only saving grace. The wave comment still says “surfable but very ordinary,” so expectations need to be low. It’s not for beginners as the size is approachable but the quality is poor. For the afternoon, the wind swings NW and freshens offshore, but the swell fades to nothing.

The next notable day is Thursday, August 27th. Morning sees a similar 4 ft south swell with a period of 7 seconds, and the energy climbs to 240. The wind is a clean N cross-offshore again. The afternoon gets interesting – the wind drops to 0 mph and the ocean goes glassy, with the same 4 ft S swell and energy of 228. The wave comment moves up to “surfable but very ordinary,” but that glassy surface is a major positive for getting clean little waves. Still, with that short period, it’s going to be crumbly and weak, not a standout.

The biggest push arrives on Friday, August 28th, in the morning. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the ENE with a period of 7 seconds and the energy ramps to a strong 387. Winds are N cross-offshore, so it’s clean. That size is getting punchy and will be too big for beginners. But the afternoon ruins it – onshore winds chop it up to 7 ft and 447 energy, but with a cross-on wind, it’s a choppy mess and not worth it.

On Saturday, August 29th, the morning has 5 ft from the east, period 7 seconds, energy 250, but the wind is cross-shore and creates a chop. The afternoon fades to 5 ft with cross-onshores. Nothing to get excited about.

So, where’s the best? Honestly, the only standout, if you can call it that, is Thursday, August 27th, afternoon. The glassy conditions and a modest 4 ft south swell (even with that short period) means the surface will be like glass. It’s not a hero wave, but for North Street, it’s the cleanest window in a long, flat run. Crowds are “sometimes” a factor here, so you might have a few others with the same idea. For the rest, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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