Tuncurry-North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at Tuncurry-North Wall for the next 16 days, and honestly, it’s a bit of a slow burn. For a spot that’s exposed to the swell, we’re looking at a lot of tiny, weak surf for the first week and a bit. The good news is, things start to fire up properly in the second week, especially around the 12th of August.

We kick off on Thursday the 30th of July with barely a ripple—1ft of weak, short-period NE swell. The wind is light and offshore out of the SW, which is nice and clean, but there’s just no energy in the water (combined energy of all swells directed here is 8). The whole first week is pretty much the same story: tiny waves under 2ft, with a bit of a tease on Saturday the 1st of August when a 2ft SE swell shows up with a 14-second period—that’s a long period groundswell—giving it a combined energy of 104, but the wind goes cross-shore and the surf quality is poor.

You’ve got to wait until Monday the 3rd of August for anything remotely rideable. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the SE, with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 388, so there’s some push there, but the wind is cross-onshore and the conditions are marginal. It’s not worth getting wet for.

Then we hit a real dry spell. From Tuesday the 4th of August right through to Saturday the 8th of August, it’s back to tiny, sub-2ft junk. The wind is often offshore, which is a shame because the swell just isn’t there.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Sunday the 9th of August—3ft from the SE, 8-second period, and 135 combined energy, with a moderate offshore breeze. It’s described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s a step up, but nothing to call home about.

Now, close your eyes and picture this: Monday the 10th of August, we start seeing some proper swell. A 4ft pulse from the NNE, with a 6-second period—short period, so it’s a bit jumbled—but the combined energy jumps to 203, and the wind is light offshore out of the SW. The surf report says “expect good surf conditions.” This is when the wall starts to wake up. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit.

The standout? Without a doubt, it’s Wednesday the 12th of August. The swell hits 5ft from the ESE, with a 12-second period—that’s proper groundswell, long and powerful. The combined energy is a solid 603, so there’s real grunt in the water. The wind is a clean, moderate offshore from the SW, making for some absolutely clean, lined-up waves. This is the pick of the whole outlook. If you can only surf one day, make it the 12th. The morning looks the best, but the afternoon is nearly as good with lighter offshore winds. It’s big enough to be fun for intermediates and good for experts, but beginners might find it a bit much.

After that, Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th of August still have decent 3ft to 4ft ESE swell, but the wind gets a bit messy and the conditions turn more marginal. Still surfable, but not the magic of that Wednesday.

Crowds at Tuncurry-North Wall can be an issue—it’s a popular spot, so expect company on the better days. It’s a beach and breakwater setup, so when the swell gets long-period like that 12-second stuff on the 12th, the wall can really focus the energy and give you some nice wedges.

So, overall, there’s a long stretch of flatness, then a slow build, and one absolute standout day on the 12th of August. Don’t sleep on it.

Rusty.

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