Thirroul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and let’s be straight – the next couple weeks at Thirroul are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a long wait for anything truly special, but hang in there, because the finish line has a real gem. For the first week, it’s mostly small, ordinary waves with average winds, nothing to get excited about. The real standout, and I mean a proper standout, lands on Friday the 11th of September.

Right now, on Tuesday the 1st, we’ve got tiny 3ft south swell with a moderate combined energy (174) and a light NNW cross-off breeze. The sets are around 11 seconds, so there’s a touch of push, but honestly, it’s just surfable. Water temp is 64°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no need to dig the extra rubber out yet.

Wednesday the 2nd is more of the same – 2ft south swell, energy dropping (108), with a NW cross-off. You could paddle out, but you won’t be telling stories about it.

Thursday the 3rd is a write-off. Swell drops to 2ft, energy is weak (92), and moderate cross-off winds make it feel even smaller. Poor conditions all day.

Friday the 4th gives a small bump in the morning – 3ft south swell (136 energy) – but the real highlight is the afternoon glass-off. Winds go calm with a glassy surface, and though the swell is only 1.0ft from the SSE with 11 seconds, it’s clean. Not for a proper session, but if you’ve got a log, you could get a few silky ones.

Saturday the 5th morning has 2ft south swell and a cross-off, nothing flash. The afternoon brings fresh offshore WNW wind at 22 mph, which cleans up the 1ft waves (47 energy) but the size is laughable.

Sunday the 6th is a weird one – 4ft south swell in the morning (221 energy) but with an onshore easterly. That’s messy. Afternoon picks up a 3ft SSE swell, but it’s cross-onshore and lumpy. A skip.

Monday the 7th through Wednesday the 9th stays mediocre: small south swells around 3–4ft, cross-off or cross winds, and solid energy drops. Not worth the paddle.

Then Thursday the 10th of September starts to wake up. A big 13ft south swell hits in the morning, combined energy is 5594 – that’s strong – but the cross wind is gusty and fresh, creating lumps and chop. It’s way over 8ft, so only for experts, and with the cross wind, it’s a real wrestle. Afternoon drops to 10ft (2221 energy) but still messy.

Now here’s the one you’ve been waiting for – Friday the 11th of September. Morning brings an exceptional 15ft south swell, combined energy is a massive 10046, with a period of 12 seconds, and it’s glassy. Dead calm. This is big, powerful groundswell, clean as a whistle, and because Thirroul is a beach and reef setup, that long period swell will really wrap into the reef lines and points. It’s huge – over 8ft – so this is absolutely for experienced, expert surfers only. If you’re not in that bracket, watch from the rocks. The afternoon sees the wind swing cross-onshore, so the window is the early session. This is the true standout.

Saturday the 12th morning still has clean 5ft swell (372 energy) and glassy conditions, so a decent consolation. Afternoon gets chopped up by the onshore breeze.

Sunday the 13th offers 5ft SSE swell (537 energy) with light cross winds, but by afternoon it turns choppy again. Monday the 14th is similar with 4ft ESE swell, though mornings are cleaner.

Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th see the swell fade back to small, ordinary 3–4ft stuff with increasing wind, so the dream run is over.

Bottom line: the first week is a slow grind with tiny, average waves. The clear winner is the morning of Friday the 11th – massive, glassy, expert-level south groundswell. That’s the one to circle on the calendar.

Rusty.

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