Tuncurry-North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Lookin’ at this 16-day stretch for Tuncurry-North Wall, I gotta be straight with ya – it’s a pretty bleak run. We’re talkin’ a solid stretch of flat, gutless surf that just won’t give us a break. The first real shot at anything rideable doesn’t pop up until Tuesday the 15th.

Right from the get-go, the pattern is set: tiny swell, nothing to get excited about. Friday the 11th through Monday the 14th is a write-off, with wave heights barely a whisper and onshore slop making a mess of things. The north wall is exposed, but there’s just no energy in the water. The combined swell energy is a measly 15 to 112 – weak, weak, weak.

Tuesday the 15th morning is where we finally see a pulse. We get a 4ft swell from the north-northeast with a period of only 6 seconds – short period stuff, so no real punch. The wind goes glassy with an ESE breeze at 3 mph, so the surface will be clean, but the waves themselves are just ordinary. The combined energy climbs a bit to 151, which is still in the moderate range but barely. It’s surfable, but you’ll be workin’ for it. The afternoon on Tuesday gets messy again with cross-shore wind and smaller surf.

Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are back to tiny, clean but tiny – thanks to fresh offshore breezes from the SSW, but the swell is a pathetic 0.7ft. You can’t surf that. The water temp is sittin’ around 67°, which is bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there.

Friday the 18th morning shows a bit more life: 4ft from the southeast with an 8 second period, combined energy up to 173. That’s moderate energy, but still not stellar. The wind is cross-offshore from the SSW at 9 mph, keepin’ it fairly clean. It’s rideable, but nothing special. By the afternoon, the wind shifts onshore and the quality drops again.

Saturday the 19th morning has the biggest number of the whole run: 4ft from the east-southeast with a 10-second period, pushin’ the combined energy to 215. That’s the peak. The wind is light onshore from the northeast, which isn’t ideal, but it’s the best swell we see. The period is long enough to have a bit of push, but the direction isn’t perfect for the wall – the optimum swell direction here is from the northeast, and this is comin’ from the east-southeast. Still, it’s the standout. Expect crowds here on a Saturday though – this spot can get busy.

After that, it’s a slow slide back to tiny surf all the way through to the end of the period on Thursday the 26th. Saturday the 26th morning bumps up to 5ft from the north-northeast with a 6-second period, combined energy hittin’ 283 – strong energy in the moderate range. But it’s still a short-period swell, so it’ll be lumpy and sectiony. The wind is offshore from the south at 12 mph, so it’ll be clean, but the wave quality is marginal. That’s the only other blip worth mentionin’ in the second week.

Overall, this is one of those stretches where you’d be better off waitin’ for a bigger system. The best chance is Saturday the 19th morning – the biggest swell of the outlook and a decent period, though the onshore breeze and direction aren’t ideal. It’s the pick of a bad bunch. For most of these days, the setup here is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the onshore winds and poor wave quality.

Rusty

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