Woolgoolga Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, mate. To be dead honest, the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We've got a long stretch of nothing much happening. The first real chance of anything resembling a surf comes right at the start, but it's a fleeting moment. After that, we're looking at a big ol' gap of flat, messy conditions for over a week before a late pulse of size shows up, but it's all blown out.

The only bright spot in the near future is Tuesday morning, September 1st at Woolgoolga Back Beach. We've got a clean 2.3 ft of swell coming from the SSE, with a long period of 10 seconds. The wind is a light northerly, keeping it cross-off and clean. The water temp is sitting at 67.8°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate at 207. It's not a monster, but for a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent spot, it's the best you'll get. Just keep in mind it can get a bit of a crowd here sometimes. The Tuesday afternoon sees that wind pick up to 19 mph, so it'll be a morning mission only.

Then it's a dry spell. Wednesday the 2nd through to the middle of the next week is just tiny, weak waves with poor conditions. You'll see a few knee-high dribblers with onshore winds, nothing worth waxing up for.

Now, later in the forecast, around Thursday, September 10th, a big pulse of swell arrives. We're talking 8.2 ft of SSE swell on Thursday afternoon, with a very long period of 14 seconds. That's proper groundswell. The combined energy hits a massive 2471, which is very strong. BUT, and it's a huge but, the wind is howling out of the SSE at 16 mph, putting it straight onshore and choppy. This is a classic case of "looks like a washing machine" – it's all cross-on slop. For a beach break like Woolgoolga Back Beach, that long-period swell with that wind is just messy. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for the kite surfers than for a paddle surfer.

The following morning, Friday, September 11th, the swell drops to 7.2 ft from the south, but with a light onshore wind from the SE. It's marginal at best, and the energy is still strong at 1578, but the quality isn't there for a clean session.

So, the takeaway is this: if you're desperate for a paddle, hit Tuesday morning first thing. The rest of the window is a write-off. The big swell later in the second week is there, but it's not a surfable proposition for a clean wave. It's a tough run, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

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