Wollongong North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Look, I’ll be honest with you – Wollongong North Beach is shaping up for a pretty quiet start. The first week or so is mostly tiny, weak dribble with a few clean windows but nothing that’ll get you out of bed early. The real action, and I mean proper action, kicks off from Sunday the 16th of August. That’s where the magic is. Let’s run through it.

We kick off Thursday the 6th of August with a 0.7ft easterly swell at 9 seconds, but the wind is onshore or cross-off and the energy is just a whisper (9). Not worth a paddle. That same tiny, low-energy pattern hangs around through Friday and into Saturday morning. Saturday morning the 8th does go glassy – 1ft from the ENE, 7-second period, clean as a whistle – but it’s still tiny. Combined energy is only 16. A longboard maybe, but honestly, it’s pretty ordinary.

Sunday the 9th sees a little bump to 3ft ENE, period back to 9 seconds, and energy climbs to 125 – starting to feel something. But the wind is cross-onshore, choppy, and the surf quality is poor. Monday the 10th has a bigger pulse: 6ft ENE early, 469 energy, and clean with strong cross-off westerly winds. That’s a solid, clean wave for advanced surfers if you’re keen, but the swell is dropping fast by afternoon. Tuesday the 11th drops back to 1ft, and the energy is gone again.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Tuesday the 11th through to Saturday the 15th, the swell hovers between 1ft and 2ft, mostly ENE or E, periods around 10 seconds. The energy stays low (44 to 129). There are a few clean mornings, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. It’s surfable but very ordinary.

Now, Sunday the 16th of August – this is the standout. The swell jumps to 7ft early from the east, period 11 seconds, and energy rockets to 1018. That’s moderate-strong energy. The wind is light cross-off from the SSW, and the surf is clean. By afternoon it builds to 8ft, glassy with rain showers, energy 1482. This is excellent surf, but it’s big – over 8ft by Sunday afternoon, so only for experienced surfers. The swell direction is east, which matches the optimum ENE for this break, so it’s well-aligned.

Monday the 17th is the peak. Morning sees 10ft from the ESE, 11 seconds, glassy, with energy at 1981 – strong to very strong. That’s a serious, powerful groundswell. This is expert-only territory. The period is 11 seconds, so it’s a long-period groundswell, which will bring good shape and long gaps between sets. Being a beach break, it might break a bit straight at times, but with glassy conditions, it’ll be worth it. The afternoon drops to 8ft ESE, still clean, but a light cross-shore breeze.

Tuesday the 18th holds at 6ft ESE, 10 seconds, but the morning is glassy and energy is 712. That’s a big, clean, powerful wave suitable for experienced surfers, and the crowds are possible at this spot. By Wednesday the 19th, the swell is still 7ft ESE, but the wind turns cross-onshore and the quality drops. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st see the swell ease back to 4ft to 5ft, with cleaner conditions returning on Friday morning (21st) with a light cross-off westerly.

Water temperature is about average for this time of year – no big anomaly to mention.

The standout is clearly Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th of August. That’s the big, clean, powerful east swell with glassy or light offshore conditions. It’s the real deal. For the rest of the first week, keep your gear ready but don’t expect much.

Rusty.

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