Woolgoolga Back Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s lining up for Woolgoolga Back Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a slow start. The first few days are pretty grim – we’re talking tiny, weak, onshore slop. The water temp is sitting around 68°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

The first real chance to get wet comes on Friday morning, 7th August. It’s tiny – only 2ft of weak, short-period E swell (combined energy 110) – but the wind is glassy, dead calm. For a beginner-friendly spot like this, that’s a window. The waves won’t be anything special, but it’ll be clean and uncrowded. Saturday morning, 8th August, is a similar story: 2ft E swell, glassy conditions, and the energy bumps up a notch (120). It’s still small, but the tide and the calm air will make it look better than it is.

The standout window comes on Monday afternoon, 10th August. The swell picks up to 4ft from the ENE, period 8 seconds, and it’s dead glassy again. The wind goes NW and turns offshore, giving you clean, lined-up waves. The energy is moderate (168), and for a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is the best looking session of the first week. The crowds are only sometimes there, so you might get a few peaks to yourself.

Tuesday morning, 11th August, and Wednesday morning, 12th August, are also worth a mention – both glassy, both with 2ft E swell, but the energy is a bit lower (106 and 150). Still, clean waves for a beginner.

Then things get messy. From Thursday 13th through to Monday 17th, the wind swings onshore and hammers the place. The swell gets bigger, but it’s all cross-on slop and choppy. Even though the combined energy climbs into the hundreds (619 on the 14th, 414 on the 15th), the quality is just not there for paddle surfing. At this stage, with the bigger swell and strong onshore wind, it’s looking more like a kite session than a surf session.

The real late game is on Tuesday 18th August. A solid 8ft S groundswell rolls in, with a long period of 12 seconds. The combined energy absolutely rockets to 2558 – that’s strong, powerful energy. But the wind is cross-on from the SSW, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy. This is expert territory only – too big for beginners. The wave quality is marginal, but for the experienced crew, there’ll be some heavy, clean lines if you can find a bank. Wednesday morning, 19th, is similar with 7ft SSE swell and lighter cross-on wind, scoring a bit higher on quality (score 3). This is the best of the late period, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep an eye on the charts.

Wednesday afternoon 20th, the swell drops to 6ft, still 12 seconds, but the wind goes cross-off from the NNW, cleaning things up. The energy is still strong (914). That’s a solid session for the advanced crew.

So, for the best on offer: the clear standout is Monday afternoon 10th August – offshore, glassy, 4ft ENE swell, and clean. That’s the one to circle. The second standout is Tuesday morning 18th August for the big, powerful groundswell, but only for experts.

Rusty.

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