Woolgoolga Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut to it: the next 16 days at Woolgoolga are a real struggle. There’s no proper surf on the table, and you’ll be chasing small windows. The best looks to be Sunday, 30 August, with a couple of mornings offering a chance. For the most part, it’s small, weak, or messy, with a long stretch of poor waves in between.

The first solid recommendation doesn’t pop up until Wednesday, 26 August. Before that, from Wednesday, 19 August through to Tuesday, 25 August, it’s a real grind. The swell is tiny, the wind is average, and the combined energy is weak – mostly under 200 (342 on Wednesday, 19th, but that’s with a cross wind and marginal conditions). You’ll see a few glassy mornings on Saturday, 22 August, and Sunday, 23 August, but the swell is barely 2ft, so it’s more a paddle than a surf.

The first real standout is Wednesday, 26 August – morning. The swell picks up to 4ft from the S, with a short period of 6 seconds, but the wind is a clean cross-off from the S at 15 km/h. The combined energy hits 288 (moderate), and the conditions are clean. The break is a beach and reef setup, so it’s exposed and should offer some shape, but that short period means it’ll be a bit dumpy. It’s a solid pick for advanced surfers.

Then Thursday, 27 August – morning. Glassy conditions with no wind, and a 3ft swell from the SSE at 8 seconds. The water temp is around average for this time of year, not unusual. The combined energy is 150 (moderate), but it’s only surfable, not epic. Clean, but small.

The real highlight is Friday, 28 August – morning. Glassy, no wind, and a 4ft swell from the SE with a 9-second period. The combined energy is 289 (moderate), and the conditions are glassy. The swell direction is ESE, which is the optimum for Woolgoolga, so this is a rare moment where everything aligns. It’s the best of the whole period.

After that, Sunday, 30 August – afternoon, offers the biggest swell of the window: 6ft from the SSE, with a 9-second period and clean cross-off wind from the S at 10 km/h. The combined energy is 576 (strong), and it’s rated as very good conditions. This is the standout for size and power, but at 6ft, it’s getting into expert territory at Woolgoolga’s beach and reef setup. Beginners should sit this one out.

The tail end of the forecast, from 31 August, sees a drop in swell size (2-2ft) but a spike in period (up to 19 seconds on Monday, 31st). That’s a very long period groundswell, which means it’s better for point breaks and reefs, not so much for beach breaks. The combined energy is still strong (628 on Monday morning), but the swell is small and the wind is strong (25 km/h). It’s a confusing mix – big energy, but small waves. Not a standout.

Overall, the best surf is on Friday, 28 August – morning, with glassy conditions and a clean 4ft ESE swell. Sunday, 30 August – afternoon, is the second pick for bigger waves and clean wind. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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