Woolgoolga Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Woolgoolga Back Beach. The next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag, but there's definitely a couple of windows to get excited about. The water temp is sitting at 67°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing to write home about there.

Alright, the first bit of surf we can talk about is from Thursday the 31st of July. The swell is a solid 6 ft from the south, with a 12-second period, which is a proper groundswell. The combined energy is a beefy 1186, so there's plenty of power in the water. But, and it's a big but, the wind is a cross-onshore from the south at 12 mph, making it fairly choppy. The forecast is marginal, and it's a bit of a messy one. It's surfable, but you'll be battling the chop. This one's probably best left for the more experienced crew as the size is pushing into the intermediate zone.

The real standout, the one you want to circle on the calendar, is Monday the 10th of August. Get ready for it. The forecast is calling for a very good surf session. The morning will see a 5 ft swell from the east-southeast, with an 11-second period (groundswell), and the combined energy is a solid 509. The magic is in the wind: a gentle offshore from the north-northwest at 9 mph, leaving the waves clean. The wind state is described as "gentle offshore and clean," which is exactly what we want to hear. This is the pick of the entire forecast. The swell direction is east-southeast, which is a good match for the optimum swell direction of southeast for this spot. It's a bit of a wait, nearly two weeks out, but it looks promising. The afternoon will be a bit messier with a cross-offshore wind, but the morning session is the one.

Let's run through the rest. The first few days are a write-off, really. Thursday the 30th is poor, Friday the 31st is marginal at best, and the first weekend of August is all poor surf with rain and onshore winds. Sunday the 3rd of August morning cleans up nicely with a light cross-offshore wind from the north-northwest at 3 mph. The swell is a waist-high 4 ft from the southeast, and it's clean. The combined energy is 390, so it's not a small day, but it's not a powerhouse either. It's a solid option for a beginner or intermediate, but it's not a standout like the 10th.

After that, the surf drops right off. From Tuesday the 4th through to Sunday the 9th, the swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-shore. It's a real flat spell. There's a brief moment on Saturday the 8th of August morning with a glassy 3 ft wave, but it's very ordinary. Monday the 10th is the saviour, as we already covered.

Then after the 10th, the following week stays small. Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th have some clean, small waves in the morning, with offshore winds, but the swell is only around 2 ft to 3 ft. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th of August have glassy mornings with a long-period groundswell around 3 ft to 3 ft from the east. The combined energy is moderate in the 200-300 range, and the period is 11-13 seconds, so it will have a nice shape, but it's very small. The downside is it's a beach break, and a long-period swell on a beach can sometimes close out, but with these small heights, it should be fine for a longboard or a funboard.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly a dud, then a great window on Monday the 10th of August morning, followed by a week of clean but tiny waves. If you're a beginner, the clean days on the 3rd of August or the 10th of August are manageable, but the 10th is the premium session. The crowds are listed as "sometimes," so it won't be a circus, but you might have a few out. For the experts, the only real size is the 6 ft on the 31st of July, but the onshore wind ruins it.

Rusty.

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