Tuncurry-North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, we’ve got a bit of a slow start ahead of us for the next 16 days if you’re hanging out at Tuncurry-North Wall – a beach and breakwater setup that’s exposed to the NE swell. The water temp is sitting at 67°F, which is about average for this time of year with a +0.7°F anomaly – nothing to write home about.

Let’s be honest, the first week is pretty grim. From Saturday the 12th right through to the end of Thursday the 17th, it’s mostly tiny, onshore, messy junk. We’re talking wave heights barely scraping 0.7ft to maybe 5ft, but with poor conditions and low combined energy – often reading between 16 and 151, so weak to moderate at best, but with lousy wind. On Sunday the 13th arvo there’s a brief bump to 4ft from the NE, but with a fresh breeze onshore and a short period of 5 seconds, it’s all chop and no shape. Not worth paddling out.

Things start to look a bit more interesting on Tuesday morning the 15th. We get a clean, cross-off breeze from the SE, with 3ft of NE swell, but it’s only 6-second windswell and weak energy (89). It’s surfable but ordinary – only a 1 out of 10 kind of vibe. That tiny window of clean conditions fades quickly into the afternoon.

Now, the standout in this whole outlook – if you’re patient – is Friday morning the 18th of September. That’s the day to circle. We’ve got 4ft of ESE swell bumping in at 8 seconds, with a combined energy of 205 (moderate energy) and clean conditions thanks to a light SSW offshore breeze at just 3 mph. The swell direction (ESE) matches up well with the optimum NE direction here – not perfect, but close enough to get some nice lines wrapping in. It’s a fairly consistent spot, though crowds are likely – North Wall can get busy when it’s clean. This is your best bet for the whole run.

Friday arvo drops off a bit as a light cross-onshore creeps in, and Saturday the 19th morning holds some 4ft ESE swell with a longer 11-second period (that’s proper groundswell energy, with combined energy hitting 387 – strong). But the wind is cross-on from the NNW at just 3 mph, so it’s not glassy but not terrible. It’s marginal – worth a look if you’re keen, but don’t expect perfection.

After that, from Sunday the 20th through to the end of the period, it’s back to small, weak, and mostly messy. A few pulses of 4ft to 6ft NE swell show up around the 25th and 26th, but they’re plagued by onshore or cross-onshore wind, keeping the quality poor. On Saturday the 26th morning, there’s a clean, cross-off breeze from the SSE with 4ft NE swell and moderate energy (118), but the swell period is short and the waves are ordinary – a 1 out of 10 day.

There’s even a glassy moment on Sunday the 27th morning – 3ft NE swell, period of 7 seconds, light wind – but the energy is weak (91) and the arvo turns bumpy. It’s a tease.

To sum it up: the first week is pretty much a write-off. Best bet is Friday morning, 18th September – that’s the clear standout with clean offshore wind and a moderate ENE groundswell. The following Saturday morning (19th) is a secondary option if you don’t mind cross-on wind. After that, it’s slim pickings. This spot can be inconsistent, so a slow run isn’t unusual – forecasts can change, so stay hopeful.

Stay salty,
Rusty

Read more