North wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looks like the surf is about to get going, but we’ve got a bit of a slow start to get through first. The first proper surf shows up on Wednesday morning, July 22, with a clean east swell coming through the Northwall (beach/groyne/river) spot. Swell’s around 5 feet from the east, with a period of 10 seconds, so it’s a solid groundswell with some push. The offshore wind from the WSW is light, only 6 mph, so the waves will be clean and lined up. Wave energy is moderate (458), and it’ll be a good session for beginners looking for a fun, manageable wave. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

That Wednesday afternoon, the wind swings around and the surf gets messy, so catch it early. Thursday morning, July 23, is another clean one with a 4 foot east swell, still 9 seconds period, and light offshore wind. Wave energy drops to 201, but it’s still a fun little wave. Friday gets a bit of a bump in size, but the wind is strong and cross-off, so the quality is questionable. The swell hits 6 feet by Friday morning from the south with a short 6 second period, which is a bit of a messy windswell, and it’s pushing 19 mph winds. The afternoon is a bit bigger at 7 feet, but still short period and windy. It’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a good paddle.

Now, here’s the standout. Saturday morning, July 25, is the pick of the whole outlook. The swell is 5 feet from the south, period jumps to 11 seconds, and the wave energy is strong at 1320. The wind is light from the WNW at just 3 mph, almost glassy, and the waves are clean. This is a groundswell, and with that long period, it’ll be better shaped and more powerful. It’s recommended for experienced surfers, though, as the size is solid and the energy is significant. Crowds are sometimes present, so you might have some company. The water remains about average for the season.

There’s a gap after Saturday afternoon, with the next good surf coming on Sunday morning, July 26, with a 4 foot south swell, 11 seconds, light offshore wind, and moderate energy (291). That’s a clean, fun session. Sunday afternoon stays clean with a longer period of 13 seconds. Monday morning, July 27, is similar, 4 feet from the south, 10 seconds, clean. After that, we get a few days of much smaller surf—around 2 feet to 3 feet—with only occasional clean windows, like Tuesday July 28 morning and Wednesday July 29 morning, but the energy is weak (under 137). The highlight of the second week is Thursday morning, July 30, when a 2 foot south swell comes in with a very long period of 14 seconds and offshore wind. The energy is moderate (299), and it’ll be clean, but the size is small. That’s a sneaky good session for a mellow longboard.

The last week gets a bit of a pulse again: Wednesday morning, August 5, brings a 6 foot swell from the SSE, period 9 seconds, with light offshore wind from the WNW at 6 mph, and the wave energy is strong (630). Conditions are very good. Then Thursday morning, August 6, is a 6 foot SE swell, 8 seconds, with clean cross-off wind. The biggest standout in the second week is actually Tuesday morning, August 4, with a 7 foot south swell, 7 seconds, but the wind is cross-shore and the period is short, so it’s more of a mess. The real quality is Wednesday the 5th—that’s the one to pencil in, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

So, in short: Wednesday morning July 22 is a nice clean start, but Saturday morning July 25 is the absolute best. The second week has a few clean small days and a promising pulse around August 5.

Rusty.

Read more