Off The Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a 16-day window on the North Shore, focused on Off The Wall, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The real juice starts showing toward the end of the first week and into the second, so don't expect much to get too excited about right away.

We kick off on Wednesday the 26th with some clean, solid energy. Morning looks sweet with clear skies, a light offshore breeze from the ESE, and a clean 4ft swell from the WSW at 13 seconds. That’s a nice groundswell. The combined energy is strong at 1375. This is advanced reef surfing – the wave will have some punch. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-off breeze, still 4ft. The water temp anomaly is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. From Thursday the 27th through to Saturday the 29th, the wind goes cross-on or cross, the swell bumps up a bit but the quality drops. The ratings tell the story – marginal conditions. It’s not a complete write-off, but you’ll be fighting a bit of chop.

Things start to clean up on Sunday the 30th. The morning is clean with a cross-off breeze, 5ft of WSW swell. Still solid energy (1111). Sunday afternoon gets punchier – 8ft from the same direction – but a stronger side-shore breeze keeps it from being perfect.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday the 31st. This is the one to mark on your calendar. The morning is glassy – absolute zero wind – with a clean 7ft WSW swell rolling in. This is prime Off The Wall. Big, clean lines, long period energy (12 seconds), and the water will be like a mirror. The combined energy is solid at 1032. This is expert territory at that size and on a reef, but for those who can handle it, this is the session of the window.

There’s a massive spike on Tuesday the 1st of September, but it’s a beast. A 15ft SW swell hits in the afternoon, with huge energy (8378). That’s a serious, dangerous wave. Only for the most seasoned big-wave chargers. The wind is cross, so there’ll be some texture, but the power is undeniable.

The rest of the first half of September is a story of leftover energy and cleaning up. Wednesday the 2nd still has 10ft of swell but moderate winds. Thursday the 3rd drops back to 6ft with lovely offshore winds again. Another good call for the morning.

Friday the 4th is perhaps the second best day. Morning is glassy, 6ft from the W, clean and inviting. The afternoon stays clean, though the swell picks up a shorter period from the SSE.

There’s a drop-off for a few days around the 5th and 6th, with smaller, shorter-period swells, before a final pulse. The 8th of September brings back a clean 4ft WSW long-period swell for a couple of days – a nice, easy finish to the window. The morning of the 10th is a bust with strong onshore winds.

Overall, the window is a bit of a slow start, fires up for a sizeable Monday session, then has a few smaller, clean windows for the more moderate crew. Keep an eye on that Monday the 31st of August – that’s the gem.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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