North wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, looking at the surf ahead for Northwall. It's a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, with a few clean windows but plenty of ordinary conditions to sit through. The water is sitting at 68°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing special there.

We start off on Tuesday the 25th with a bit of energy from the ENE, but the wind is a cross-on breeze from the north, making things pretty choppy. The swell is around 3ft, but the period is only 8 seconds – short period windswell, not much grunt. The combined energy is weak (178). It's not worth paddling out for. That carries into the afternoon with a stronger onshore breeze making it even worse.

Wednesday the 26th offers a slight improvement in the morning. The swell drops slightly to 4ft from the ENE, but the wind swings light from the NW, making it a clean cross-off. The period is still short at 7 seconds, and the energy is low (126). It's surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon brings a risk of thunderstorms and a direct onshore wind, so that's a write-off.

Thursday the 27th is a write-off too. The swell is tiny on the morning (3ft) and the wind is a moderate cross-off from the south, leaving it clean but with very little to ride. The energy is only 87. The afternoon isn't much better.

Now, Friday the 28th is the first real standout. The morning is glassy with a light WSW wind, which is a huge plus. The swell is 4ft from the south with a 9-second period, and the combined energy ramps up to a moderate 263. This is your best bet for a clean, fun session on the longboard or a mid-length. The afternoon gets blown out by an onshore ENE wind, so get in early.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are both ruled by a strong, moderate south wind. The swell builds on Sunday to 6ft from the SSE (10-second period, energy of 710), but it's raw and windy. The conditions are clean, but that wind is still strong, making it a bit of a battle. Not ideal for the average punter.

Monday the 31st brings a fascinating change. The swell is only 3ft from the SSE, but look at that period – 19 seconds! That's a very long period groundswell. The energy is strong (1000). This is a proper point break or reef wave, not a beach break. The wind is a gentle cross from the SE, so it's not perfect, but for a long-period, straight-beach setup like this, it might just break too straight and be a bit tricky. Still, it’s a standout for the energy alone.

Tuesday the 1st of September is another glassy morning. The wind is light from the NNW, the swell is 3ft from the SSE (12-second period, energy 342). This is a great, clean, fun morning. The afternoon gets messy with a strong onshore breeze.

Wednesday the 2nd of September is a repeat of Tuesday – glassy morning, clean 3ft of SSE swell (12-second period, energy 256). Another very good session to be had. The afternoon blows out again.

From Thursday the 3rd of September onwards, things get poor. The wind is onshore or cross-shore, the swell is tiny (2ft to 3ft), and the energy is weak to moderate. There's a long gap of poor to no surf from Thursday the 3rd right through to the end of the forecast on the 9th of September. The only slight glimmer is on the morning of the 9th, with a very small 2ft from the south (12-second period, 136 energy) and a light offshore wind, but it's still very small and weak. Not worth the drive.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer are the glassy mornings of Friday the 28th of August, Tuesday the 1st of September, and Wednesday the 2nd of September. All have clean conditions, fun-sized swell, and moderate energy. The Monday the 31st is a standout for the sheer energy of that long-period swell, but it's a gamble on the beach. After that, it's a dry spell for a week.

Rusty.

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