Woolgoolga Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you—this 16-day window for Woolgoolga Back Beach is a tough one. We're looking at a long stretch of lacklustre conditions, so don't get your hopes up. There's a real gap here with no proper surfing on offer for most of the period, and it's not until a few days in that we even see a glimmer of something rideable, but even then, it's a struggle.

The water temp is sitting at 67°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.

Let's start with Sunday, the 9th of August. The morning is the first time we get anything close to surfable. There's a small 3ft swell rolling in from the east, with a period of 9 seconds. The wind is coming from the NNW at 15 km/h, which gives us a clean cross-off breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 184. It's a weak, ordinary little wave, and the file notes it as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It's a beginner wave at best, and not much to write home about. The crowds are possible here, so don't expect a solo session.

Then things get messy again. Monday the 10th of August has a slightly bigger 4ft swell from the ENE, but the wind is howling at 35 km/h from the NNW, making it a choppy mess. The energy is up to 216, but it's poor surf. The afternoon sees a clean offshore wind from the NW at 30 km/h, but the swell drops to 4ft, and it's still a "poor surf conditions" call.

Tuesday the 11th of August morning is a tease—dead calm, glassy conditions with the wind at 0 km/h from the SSW, and a tiny 2ft swell. The energy is weak at 77. It's glassy, but the swell is practically non-existent. That's about as good as it gets for a brief moment, but it's still no good.

After that, the window gets worse. Thursday the 13th of August morning sees a spike in swell to 7ft from the south, with a period of 9 seconds and a massive energy reading of 1017. That's a lot of juice, but it's cross-on at 10 km/h from the SSW and the report calls it "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions." That's a big, messy wave for experts only, and the wind is killing it.

For the rest of the run, right through to the 23rd of August, it's a grim parade of poor surf: small, choppy, onshore slop, with energy readings mostly under 200. The wind is always cross-on or onshore, and the swell direction swings around but never delivers. The second week is a total write-off—tiny 1ft to 2ft waves with onshore winds and rain.

So, the best of a bad bunch is that Sunday morning the 9th of August, with a clean 3ft wave, but it's nothing to drive for. If you're a beginner and just want a paddle, maybe you'll get a few. Otherwise, I'd be sitting this one out, mate. The setups here are more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the strong winds and poor wave quality. Keep your eyes on the forecasts, but for now, it's a long, blank run.

Rusty.

Read more