Woolgoolga Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Alright, look. I’m gonna be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We’ve got a solid run of onshore winds and weak, short-period swell that’s just not gonna line up. There’s a serious dry spell for any decent waves, so if you’re chasing something, you’re going to have to be patient. The water temp is sitting around 67°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so nothing special there.

The surf is basically non-existent for the first week and a half. We’re looking at a whole lot of nothing from the 17th through the 25th, with tiny waves and poor conditions. There are a few glimpses of cleaner conditions, like on Thursday the 20th with a light offshore, but the swell is just too small – under 4ft – to get excited about. The energy in the water is weak, with readings like 164 and 154 in the combined energy, and that’s just not enough to push any real shape through. It’s a waiting game.

The only time things start to look even remotely interesting is right at the end of the month and into the start of September. Around the 30th and 31st, we see a bit of a bump in size, with the swell picking up to 4ft to 7ft from the SSE. But here’s the catch – the wind is howling from the south and southwest at 19 mph, which is going to chop it all up. It’s cross-onshore and lumpy, and the energy is moderate to strong (545, 400), but it’s not going to be clean. This setup looks like it might be more fun for the kite crowd than for us paddle surfers.

The one day that stands out, and I mean truly stands out, is the morning of Tuesday, September 1st. The swell has built, with the combined energy jumping up to a strong 773. We’re looking at 5ft of SSE swell, but the wind, though still cross-onshore, has dropped to 16 mph. It’s still not perfect, but it’s the most power we’ve seen in the whole run. The period is a short 9 seconds, though, which means it’s not going to have that long-period push. It’s a promise of something, but you’ll want to check the cams before you paddle out.

There’s also a whisper of something on Tuesday afternoon, with the period stretching out to 15 seconds and the energy jumping to 803. But the swell has already dropped back to 3ft and the wind is still on it. It’s a tease.

So, bottom line: the first 12 days are a right-off for any decent surf. It’s not until the very start of September that we see a glimmer of hope, but it’s a long-range call and conditions are still messy. This one’s for the patient ones.

Rusty.

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