Thirroul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – for the next week and a half, it’s a bit of a flat spell at Thirroul. There’s not much happening that’ll get you out of bed early. But, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve got a solid swell showing up just before the end of the month, and that’s the one you want to circle on the calendar.

Right now, starting Tuesday afternoon the 18th of August, it’s tiny. We’re looking at a 1 ft swell from the ESE, weak wave energy (166), and a messy cross-on breeze. Not worth paddling out for. Wednesday the 19th isn’t much better – small 2 ft swell on the morning, turning into a 4 ft cross-shore chop by the afternoon with moderate energy (405), but the wind is ruining it.

Thursday the 20th finally gives us a moment. The morning has a light cross-offshore breeze and a clean 4 ft wave from the NE, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s a bit weak and crumbly. The afternoon goes glassy, but we’re down to 3 ft. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

We sit in this holding pattern of small, weak waves right through until Friday the 28th of August. There are clean windows here and there – like Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th – but the swell is tiny, mostly under 2 ft, and the energy is low. The wind is good at times, but there’s just no push behind it.

Now, here’s the standout. Sunday morning the 30th of August. That’s the day. At Thirrul, we’re expecting a solid 7 ft swell from the SSE with a very long period of 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The wave energy is pumping at 4094, which is strong. The wind is glassy – absolutely dead calm – so it’ll be clean as a whistle. This is the top pick, but I’ve got to be real with you: at 7 ft, this is one for the experienced crew only. The long period means long lines and longer waits between sets, which is great for paddling out, but at a beach and reef setup, that long period groundswell can break a bit too straight. Still, with those conditions, it’s going to be special. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is about normal for this time of year.

The tail end of the day on the 30th sees the swell bumping up to 8 ft, but the wind shifts onshore, and the conditions get questionable. Monday the 31st has a leftover 6 ft swell, but the wind is cross-shore, and it’s a bit lumpy.

After that, from the 1st of September onwards, the swell drops right back down to small, weak waves again. So, there’s a long stretch of flatness, but that Sunday the 30th is your one true window. If you’re an experienced surfer and you’ve got the patience, that’s the morning to get wet.

Rusty.

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