Wollongong North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Wollongong North Beach.

First thing I gotta say, this is a tough stretch. Wollongong North Beach is an advanced-level spot, very consistent, exposed to the east-northeast, so it needs a good swell from the east-northeast direction to really sing. But for the next couple of weeks, the ocean is just not delivering. From Tuesday 18th August right through to the end of the month, it’s pretty much a write-off. We’re talking about a long, dry gap of about 15 days where the swell is just too small, or the wind is all wrong, or the energy is just pathetic. The water temp is sitting around 64°, which is about average for the time of year, no real drama there.

We do get a few little glimmers of hope. On Friday 21st August morning, there’s a tiny 3 ft ENE swell with a 7-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the west at 6 mph, so it’s clean. But the energy is weak (50). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Then on Thursday 27th August morning, the same thing – a 2 ft ENE swell, 8-second period, clean with a light offshore from the southwest at 6 mph. Again, just surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Now, the real standout, and the only time you should be getting excited, is on Wednesday 2nd September. That morning, the ocean finally wakes up. We’re looking at a 6 ft swell from the southeast, with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a solid, moderate groundswell. The combined swell energy is 605, which is strong energy. And the wind? Glassy. A slight air from the south-southeast at 5 mph. That’s as clean as it gets. The forecast says expect very good surf conditions. This is the one. The swell direction is SE, which is a bit off the optimum ENE, but for a beach break like Wollongong North Beach, the size and the glassy conditions will make it work. It’s a bit more than 5 ft, so it’s getting into the intermediate-to-advanced zone, but it’s not too big for the experienced crew. Later that afternoon, it drops to 3 ft from the SE with a longer 11-second period, and the wind goes light cross-onshore, so it’s not as good. The morning window is the one to chase.

If you’re a kitesurfer, the whole period is pretty average for that too, except maybe the few days of clean cross-offshore winds, but the swell is just too small. For paddle surfing, it’s a long wait, but that Wednesday 2nd September morning is worth the patience.

Rusty.

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