North wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Northwall over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first real surf worth mentioning kicks off on Thursday, the 27th of August, but it’s nothing to write home about. Thursday morning brings a 5ft swell from the south with a short period of 7 seconds, and the energy is weak at 370. The wind is a cross-off from the SSW, keeping things clean, but the wave comment says it’s marginal. Thursday afternoon gets worse with a cross-shore wind and poor surf, so don’t bother.

Friday the 28th looks better in the morning. You’ve got a 4ft swell from the SSE, period stretching to 9 seconds, and the energy is still moderate at 371. The wind is a light cross-off from the south, so the surf is clean. It’s a solid option for a beginner-friendly wave. Saturday the 29th is similar, with a 4ft SSE swell, 10-second period, and morning cross-off winds. The energy is 382, and again it’s clean. The afternoon sees a drop in size to 3ft, but still cross-off wind and clean.

Sunday the 30th shows a bit more push – 6ft from the SSE in the morning, with a 10-second period. The energy jumps to 616, which is moderate. Winds are cross-off from the south, so it’s clean, but the conditions are marginal tide-wise. The afternoon stays around 5ft but the wind goes cross-shore, so it’s less appealing.

Monday the 31st is similar to Saturday: 5ft SSE swell, 9-second period, cross-off winds in the morning keeping it clean. The energy is 380. The afternoon drops to a tiny 1.0ft with a long period of 17 seconds, but it’s poor and mostly a washout.

Now, here’s a standout. Tuesday, the 1st of September, morning. The swell is only 2ft from the SSE, but the period is a very long 16 seconds – that’s groundswell. The energy is moderate at 342. What makes this special is the wind: glassy, dead calm. It’s going to be glassy clean. For a beginner-friendly break like Northwall, that’s a rare treat. The water temperature is 69°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is mostly poor. Wednesday the 2nd through the 5th of September is a mix of tiny, short-period windswell, onshore winds, and low energy. The 6th and 7th are flat and forgettable.

Then we get a late pulse. Thursday, the 10th of September, morning, sees a 8ft swell from the SSE with a 13-second period. The energy is very strong at 2158. The wind is cross-off from the south, so it’s clean. But at 8ft, this is getting into expert territory. It’s a big, powerful groundswell – best for a point break or reef, but Northwall is a beach/groyne setup. The long period might make it break a bit straight, so a bit of a caveat there.

The real monster is Friday, the 11th of September. The morning brings a 13ft swell from the south, with a 14-second period. The energy is astronomical at 11565. The wind is a light cross-off from the SSW, so it’s clean. But the wave comment says it’s predicted to be too big for this break. This is only for experts, and even then, it’s a serious call. The afternoon is still huge at 10ft.

Best on offer: If you’re a beginner or intermediate, the glassy morning of Tuesday, 1st September, with that 2ft, 16-second groundswell, is your best bet for a clean, easy session. For the experts, the big pulse on Thursday the 10th (8ft) and Friday the 11th (13ft) is what you’re waiting for, but be aware of the limitations of the break.

There are long gaps of poor conditions, especially from the 2nd to the 9th of September, with only a few ordinary windows. The consistent consistency of Northwall means it’s not a total write-off, but this window has a lot of flat and poor days.

Rusty out.

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