Thirroul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Thirroul’s got cookin’ for us over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, with some clean moments early on, a big swell event to watch mid-period, and some tidy little windows late in the game.

We kick things off on Friday the 11th of September with some decent energy in the water. The morning’s the pick with a clean 5ft southerly swell, period hanging around 10 seconds – not a groundswell giant but enough to get into. The wind is glassy from the ESE at just 3 mph, meaning the beach and reef setup at Thirroul should look pretty smooth. The combined energy is sitting at a moderate 441, and it’s all feeling good. Water temp is 64° which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The afternoon shifts though – the wind goes cross-onshore and chops it right up, so get out early.

Saturday the 12th sees the swell dropping to around 3ft with a better 11-second period from the SSE, but the wind’s a problem. It’s cross-shore and then cross-onshore, making for bumpy conditions. Sunday the 13th stays small with short period windswell – not worth getting excited about. Monday the 14th has clean conditions on the morning session with light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is tiny at 2ft, so it’s more of a grovel session.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th see a proper pulse of swell rolling in. We’re looking at 10ft southerly swell backed by strong energy – the combined energy numbers are huge, hitting 1601 Wednesday morning, 1847 in the arvo, and peaking at 2153 on Thursday morning. That’s strong energy. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is cross or cross-onshore at 12-22 mph, making it lumpy and messy. This is expert territory at this size, and the conditions aren’t doing it any favours. Thirroul’s a beach and reef setup, and with that much power and poor wind, it might actually look more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers. Periods are short (9-10 seconds) so it won’t have the long-period punch you’d want for a reef, but it’s still a lot of water moving.

Things settle right down after that. Friday the 18th is tiny but features a bizarre 20-second period from the SSE – that’s a very long period groundswell. At only 2ft it’s not going to do much, but the long period means it might hit the reef or banks differently, just not with enough height.

The standout window comes on Saturday the 19th of September. Morning brings clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze, and by the afternoon it goes glassy – absolute perfection for a cheeky session. Swell is only 3ft from the SSE with a nice 13-second period. It’s small but clean, and the combined energy is moderate (319-285). This is the one to circle on the calendar for a fun, uncrowded-feeling paddle. If you’re a beginner, this size at 3ft is well under 5ft so it’s totally manageable. Crowds are only listed as ‘sometimes’, so you might have to share but it won’t be a zoo.

The following week starts off quiet with tiny glassy surf on Sunday the 20th (2ft) but wind goes onshore later. Monday the 21st is also tiny. Then the forecast gets interesting again around Wednesday the 23rd of September. The morning brings a solid 10ft southerly swell with strong energy (1446) and light cross-onshore wind – not perfect, but the afternoon glass off sees the swell drop to 6ft and it goes glassy. That afternoon session on the 23rd could be absolutely magic if the banks are right. Period is a bit short at 8 seconds, so it’s more windswell than groundswell, but glassy conditions at that size at Thirroul are hard to beat. Good for intermediate and above – over 5ft might be a bit much for beginners.

Thursday the 24th morning keeps the glassy theme with 5ft from the SSE and light wind. By the afternoon, the wind swings onshore again and messes it up.

The very end of the window, Friday the 26th of September Saturday, looks messy with cross-onshore wind and bumpy surf. No real standouts there.

So if I’m pointing you in the right direction: Saturday the 19th of September is your clean, fun, small-wave day – perfect for a longboard or a fish. And if you’re after some size and can handle a bit of chop, the Wednesday the 23rd afternoon glass-off with 6ft clean surf is a genuine standout. Get on it.

Rusty.

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