Wollongong North Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is a real mixed bag for Wollongong North Beach. We’ve got a long, flat spell to kick things off, and then one absolute beauty of a morning that’s worth circling on the calendar.

Right now, the beach is dead flat. From Sunday the 12th right through to Thursday the 16th, there’s barely a ripple. The water’s sitting at 65°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there. But with swell energy as low as zero for days on end, you’re better off leaving the board in the shed.

Things finally start to stir on Friday the 17th. The morning brings a small 5ft easterly swell with a period of 9 seconds, and a light offshore breeze from the SW. The combined energy is moderate at 299, and with the wind blowing clean off the land, it’ll be surfable. It’s still pretty small and not particularly powerful, but it’s a start. The afternoon gets a bit messy with a cross-off wind, so the morning is your window.

Saturday the 18th is similar – a 4ft to 5ft easterly swell, but the wind is cross-off or cross-shore, so it’s not going to be pristine. The energy is moderate (212 to 266). It’s okay, but not a standout.

Now, here’s the one you’ve been waiting for. Sunday the 19th morning is the pick of the entire forecast. We get a solid 7ft swell from the ENE, with a long period of 11 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy jumps right up to 1086, which is strong. The wind is glassy, dead calm from the NW at just 3 mph. This is the kind of morning where the ocean looks like a mirror. The swell is a bit on the big side – over 8ft can get tricky – but for experienced surfers, this is the standout session. ENE is the optimum swell direction for this break, so expect it to line up well. The only catch? It’s an exposed spot, and with that long period, it might wall up a bit on the beach, but the conditions are so clean it’s hard to complain. Crowds are possible here sometimes, and on a morning like this, you can bet a few others will be keen.

The rest of the second week drops off pretty quickly. Monday the 20th still has a solid 6ft swell, but the wind goes onshore from the NE in the afternoon, and the morning is cross-shore. Tuesday the 21st is smaller but clean with a light SSW breeze. After that, from Wednesday the 22nd onward, the swell slowly fades into tiny, weak waves, and by the weekend of the 26th, we’re back to almost nothing again.

So, bottom line: the first week is a write-off, but Sunday the 19th morning is an absolute diamond. Get out there early if you can handle the size.

- Rusty

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