Thirroul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s ahead for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, to be honest, the first week is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a real dry spell from now until the end of August, with the first decent opportunity not showing up until Friday the 28th of August. From Wednesday the 19th through to Thursday the 27th, it’s mostly poor surf conditions with tiny heights and choppy, messy wind. There’s a brief window on Thursday the 20th afternoon with a glassy 2 ft north swell, but it’s short period at 6 seconds and the energy is weak (62), so not really worth paddling out for anything special. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are flat and cross-shore, and Monday the 24th is ordinary too. Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th bring some rain and building swell, but the wind is all wrong – cross and cross-on with heavy rain on the 26th, 31 mph from the SSW. That’s more kite-surfing weather than paddle surfing, and the waves are just messy.

Now, the standout of the whole outlook is Friday the 28th of August morning at Thirroul (beach and reef). This is the pick of the bunch. The water is sitting at 64°, which is about average for the time of year with a 1° anomaly – nothing unusual. The swell is 3 ft from the south with a 10-second period, giving moderate energy (206). The wind is light and offshore from the NW at 3 mph, so it’ll be clean and glassy. The guidance says the optimum swell direction is SE, and while the swell is coming from the south, it’s close enough to work well here. It’s a fairly consistent spot, and with the offshore wind, it’ll be a sweet morning session. Crowds are “sometimes” a thing, but with the conditions this good, it might be worth getting in early.

Saturday the 29th is a letdown – glassy morning but tiny 1 ft SSE swell with weak energy (71), and then the afternoon gets cross-on and messy. Sunday the 30th sees a big jump in swell height – 7 ft and 8 ft from the south – but the wind is cross-on from the ENE at 9 mph, so it’s choppy and marginal. The wave energy is very strong (749 and 1568), but the surface is messy. That’s more for experts if they’re keen, but it’s not clean.

The second week gets wild. Monday the 31st of August morning has 12 ft SSE swell at 12 seconds, but the wind is 12 mph cross-on from the ENE, making it choppy and poor. The energy is massive (3744). By Monday afternoon, the swell hits 16 ft from the south at 14 seconds, with very strong energy (13945), but again cross-on wind. This is big, powerful groundswell – long-period, 14 seconds – so it’ll be breaking heavy and could be a handful. It’s a beach and reef setup, so the long period might make the beach breaks a bit fat and walled, but the reef could handle it. Only for experts, and even then, it’s marginal. Tuesday the 1st of September and Wednesday the 2nd keep the big swell going – 15 ft and 12 ft – with similar cross-on wind, so it’s more of the same. Thursday the 3rd sees the swell drop to 7 ft and 6 ft, but the wind is still cross-on, so no real clean windows.

In summary, the clear winner is Friday the 28th of August morning. Everything else is a struggle, especially the first week. If you’re game and experienced, the big swell at the end of August and into September has power, but the wind is going to make it a battle.

Rusty.

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