Nyang-Nyang Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty.

Alright mate, let’s have a proper look at what’s on the cards. Honestly, it’s a bit of a frustrating run for Nyang-Nyang over the next couple of weeks. There’s plenty of swell in the water – some of it even hits serious size – but the wind is just not playing the game. For most of the period we’re looking at a cross-onshore breeze, and that’s going to leave the place choppy and messy. The waves will be there, but the quality won’t be.

We kick things off on Wednesday the 12th of August. There’s a solid 7ft SSW groundswell rolling in with a 17-second period – that’s a proper long-period groundswell, which means good energy and shape potential at a reef like this. But the wind is a moderate 16 mph cross-onshore from the ESE, and the report is poor surf conditions. The combined energy is high at 2995 (moderate to strong), but with that chop, it’s not worth paddling out. This same story runs right through the rest of the first week and into the next. Thursday the 13th sees the swell bump up to 10ft in the morning, energy cranking to 4431 (strong), but still cross-on winds. That’s expert-level size, but it’s blown out. No good.

It’s not until Saturday the 15th of August that we start to see the outlook shift ever so slightly. The wind drops a notch to 9 mph in the afternoon, still cross-onshore, but the wave comment moves from “poor” to “marginal.” That’s a small step. Swell is 8ft from the SSW, period 17 seconds, and energy is 3231 (strong). You could maybe find a rogue one if the tide lines up, but I’m not getting excited.

Then things deteriorate again from Sunday the 16th through to Tuesday the 18th – more cross-onshore wind, waves in the 5ft to 7ft range, mostly poor or marginal. Not the kind of week you’d drive for.

The next real standout window is Wednesday the 19th of August. The morning session shows a 8ft SW swell with a very long 18-second period – that’s a proper pulse of energy. And for the first time, the wind shifts to a pure cross-shore from the ESE at 12 mph. The combined energy is 3843 (strong). This is the best we’re going to see. That long period will favour the reef setup at Nyang-Nyang, giving nice, lined-up waves, though the cross-chop will still be present. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the standout of the run. The water temp is about 78°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

After that, it’s more of the same: big swells but onshore winds. Saturday the 22nd of August puts out 10ft SW swell with 16-second period and 4678 energy (strong to very strong), but it’s cross-onshore and poor. That’s a write-off for surfing. Honestly, for all that swell, if you’re into kite surfing, the strong wind and big lumps might look more interesting than paddle surfing.

By the 26th of August, the wind finally eases to a light breeze of 6 mph in the morning, but it’s still cross-onshore. Swell drops to 6ft, marginal conditions. Not a classic.

So yeah, the pick of the whole 16-day window is that Wednesday 19th of August morning at Nyang-Nyang. It’s the only time the wind gives you a break. The rest is big, messy, and angry. This reef is fairly consistent for swell, so the conditions will turn around eventually – but for now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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