Woolgoolga Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Woolgoolga Back Beach. The water temp is sitting around 68°, which is pretty average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

Alright, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a lot of onshore wind and messy conditions to start, so we have to be patient. It’s not looking good at all for this first week, with constant cross-onshore winds and rain showers making a mess of things. The swell is there, but it’s ugly. Actually, all that wind and rain from Sunday July 5 right through to Friday July 10 is just making it un-surfable – poor surf conditions across the board, with the combined energy all over the shop but the wind just ruining it. For a beginner spot, when it gets over 5 ft it gets a bit much, and on Monday July 6 and Tuesday July 7 the swell is hitting 8 ft to 10 ft, which is pushing into expert-only territory anyway – and with the wind on it, it’s a solid pass.

Then we get a little window. The standout is the morning of Saturday July 11. The forecast shows it going glassy – dead calm with a light south-west breeze at 3 mph, which is basically nothing. You’ve got a clean 5 ft swell from the SE with a 10-second period. That’s a nice groundswell, not too long so it’ll have some shape for the beach. The combined energy is moderate at 422, but with those conditions it’ll feel much better. The crowds might be an issue though – it does get busy here sometimes, so get in early. That Saturday morning is the clear winner of the first week.

Sunday July 12 morning isn’t bad either. A clean offshore wind from the NW at 9 mph, nice and clean. Swell drops a touch to 4 ft from the ESE, period still 10 seconds. Good for a longboard or a funboard, but the energy is getting weaker (288). It’s still a good session, just not as punchy as Saturday.

After that, the surf fades right out. Monday July 13, Tuesday July 14 – tiny little knee-high stuff under 3 ft. The swell energy drops into double digits (93 and below), and honestly, it’s not worth getting wet for unless you’re desperate.

Now, looking further ahead to the second week, things get interesting again but with a big caveat. Wednesday July 15 morning has a clean 5 ft swell from the S with 8 seconds, and a light NW offshore. The period is short though – 8 seconds means it’s a windswell, so it might be a bit weak and bumpy despite the clean winds. Energy is moderate at 356. It’s a maybe.

Thursday July 16 is a different story. Solid 10 ft swell from the SSE in the morning, 10-second period. Combined energy is massive at 2047. But it’s going to be big. That’s over 8 ft, so this is for experts only. And the wind is light cross-shore, not really clean. It’s marginal.

The real standout of the whole outlook is Friday July 17. This is nine days away, so treat it with a bit of caution, but the models are getting excited. We’re talking a 20 ft swell from the south with a 13-second period in the morning – that’s a huge, long-period groundswell. The energy reading is off the charts at 19271. That’s very strong wave energy. The wind is light offshore from the NNW at 6 mph, so it should be clean. But here’s the thing – this is Woolgoolga Back Beach, an exposed beach break. Long period swells like this (over 11 seconds, and this is well over 15) tend to close out and break too straight on the sand. For a spot like this, it’s probably going to be a washing machine for most surfers. The forecast even says it’s predicted to be too big for this break. So while the numbers are huge and the wind is good, this is a spectacle, not a paddle. Maybe keep an eye on the river mouth or a reef if you want to surf it, but right here it’s not friendly.

Saturday July 18 is still big and clean in the morning – 12 ft from the SE with a 13-second period and light offshore wind. Combined energy 4233. That’s solid and clean, but again over 8 ft so only for experienced surfers. The morning session on Saturday July 18 is your other potential standout if you can handle it.

After that, it drops back down to a more manageable 7 ft on Sunday July 19, but the wind swings cross-onshore again and it gets lumpy.

So, to sum it up: if you want clean, fun waves, get down there early Saturday July 11. If you’re an experienced surfer and can wait, the morning of Saturday July 18 looks like the bigger, cleaner option. And keep an eye on Friday July 17 for the sheer size – but don’t expect to catch many rides at the Back Beach.

Rusty.

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