Pambula Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you about the next couple of weeks down at the river mouth. It’s a bleak start, no two ways about it. For the first week and a half, we’re looking at flat, tiny dribble with barely enough push to get you over the sandbar. There’s a lot of waiting around ahead.

The opening days are a write-off. We’re talking ankle-biters at 0.3ft to 1ft through the 5th to the 8th. The energy is weak, with combined readings mostly under 35. The wind is mostly cross-off or light, so it might look clean, but there’s simply no wave to ride. A glassy session on the morning of the 8th with 1ft and a 7-second period is about as inviting as a flat bath.

We finally see some pulse on the 9th, but it’s messy. Swell bumps up to 4ft on the Sunday morning with a short, crumbly 6-second period, and then the wind swings onshore and howls to 22 mph by the afternoon. It’s a full-blown chop fest. The energy reads 228 and 236, but it’s all wind-slop. Not worth the paddle out.

The 10th brings the first real size of the run – 7ft on Monday morning. The energy jumps to a strong 865. But, and it’s a big but, the period is only 10 seconds and it’s coming from the NE, which is cross-off but not ideal. The wave comment is still “poor surf conditions.” It’s a lot of whitewater, not a lot of shape. This is a day for watching, not for riding, especially if you’re not on a step-up.

From the 11th through to the 17th, we’re back in the doldrums. Swell drops to under 2ft, and the energy falls off a cliff, bottoming out at 10 on the 14th. There’s a few clean, glassy windows – the afternoon of the 12th and the morning of the 16th look pretty – but again, there’s just no swell. It’s a long, frustrating stretch of nothing.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting, but you’ve got to be patient. The waiting game ends on Tuesday the 19th. This is the one true standout on the board. The morning of the 19th sees a solid 7ft of SE groundswell with a 12-second period. The combined energy is massive at 1318. The wind is glassy, dead calm. The comment calls it “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is the real deal. Pambula Rivermouth (New South Wales) is an inconsistent river break, and it’s an advanced wave. With that much size and that long period, it’s going to be a proper, heavy river-mouth wave. Only experts need apply – this is over the 8ft mark in the sets and it will be pulling hard. The water temp is about average for the time of year at 60°F, with the anomaly just 1°F above normal, so it’s not a drama, but you’ll want the thick suit anyway.

The day before, on Monday the 18th, there’s also 7ft of SE swell, but the period is only 11 seconds and the wind is onshore, making it a messy, marginal call. You’d be better off saving your energy.

After that peak, it fades quickly. The 20th is still a solid 6ft, but it’s easing and the wind turns cross-onshore, chopping it up. It’s a far cry from the clean perfection of the day before.

So, the call is simple: the next ten days are flat-out boring. If you can’t wait, don’t bother. But mark your calendar for the morning of Tuesday the 19th – that’s the one window where this place will show its true, heavy colours. Promising, but with a long-range forecast, don’t book the week off work just yet.

Rusty.

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