Woolgoolga Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’re looking at a pretty quiet start around Woolgoolga for the next few days, but there’s a big pulse of energy building for the second week that could be worth the wait.

Right now, through Wednesday and Thursday the 5th and 6th, there’s hardly anything to get excited about. Tiny swell around 1ft to 2ft from the east, with weak combined energy (72), and messy onshore winds on the afternoons. Thursday morning cleans up nicely with a light cross-off, but there’s just no size to work with and no real quality to the surf.

Friday the 7th morning you’ll see a little uptick – 2ft east swell with glassy conditions and the combined energy bumping up to 109. The period is a short 7 seconds, so the waves lack punch, but it’s surfable and clean. That glassy wind on a beach and reef setup like Woolgoolga is always a major positive. Water temp is sitting at 68°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year – no surprises there.

Saturday morning the 8th keeps that same vibe: 2ft, 8-second east swell, glassy, and combined energy at 120. Still small, but clean enough for a paddle. Crowds are possible here at Woolgoolga, so keep that in mind. The afternoons both Friday and Saturday get blown out by onshore easterlies, so make your move in the mornings.

Sunday the 9th to Monday the 10th sees the swell start creeping up – 4ft to 5ft – but the winds get messy. Sunday has strong cross/onshore winds up to 19 mph, turning it into a choppy mess. Monday morning has a clean cross-off from the west-northwest and the combined energy climbs to 275, but the waves are still very ordinary. Monday afternoon glass off with 4ft east swell – that’s the pick of this first stretch if you can time it right.

Then we hit a long lull from Tuesday afternoon the 11th right through to Sunday the 16th. Most of this period is tiny – under 3ft – with average winds and poor surf. A couple of clean windows on Wednesday and Thursday mornings the 12th and 13th, but the swell is weak. Friday the 14th morning sees a spike in combined energy to 457 with 4ft from the south-southeast, and Saturday the 15th holds 5ft with clean cross-off winds, but the wave quality is marginal at best. Nothing to write home about.

Now, the real standout hits on Tuesday the 18th of August. Overnight a proper south swell arrives – 8ft from the south with a very long period of 12 seconds. Combined energy is a massive 2558, so there’s a ton of power in the water. Winds are light cross-off from the south-southwest, keeping it clean. This is groundswell with a long period, which means the waves will have real shape and push, especially at Woolgoolga with its reef setup. That said, at 8ft this is for experts only – too big for beginners by a long shot.

Wednesday the 19th backs off slightly but still holds a solid 7ft to 7ft from the south-southeast, again with that 12-second period. Combined energy sits around 1205 to 1330. Winds are light, though a touch cross-shore, so it stays reasonably clean. Thursday the 20th drops to 6ft with a 12-second period and combined energy at 914. Winds turn more cross from the north-northwest, and by the afternoon it gets blown out with onshore northerlies up to 16 mph.

Overall, the first week is a grind – small and mostly poor surf. The best bet is the clean glassy mornings on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th, or Monday afternoon the 10th. But the true standout is Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th with that big, long-period south swell. It’s powerful, deep-water energy – treat it with respect if you’re not experienced.

Rusty.

Read more