Hello Friends,

Checked beaches from Manly to Dee Why this smokey morning and as of 0730-0800 the 10-sec 1.6 metre SSE swell was producing consistent chest to head plus wave faces at optimally aligned stretches. Biggest was Curly, but Longy was in the same league (see pics). Manly and Dee Why beach and the point were less consistent and 30% smaller, but it sure ain’t flat. Crowds were on the low side for Manly on a Sunday, but Curly was reasonably busy and Long Reef was nutty.

Winds were light early but are expected to settle to the north and get up into the 10-15 kt range. Swell’s predicted to drop today but it’s also supposed to go more SE, so I’d expect waves all day.

Tide was high at 0830 and will be low at 1415.

Outlook is for the swell to continue fading overnight and the models are generally predicting a quieter Monday and Tuesday, but they continue to point to a reasonably substantial pulse for Wednesday-Thursday.

Have yourself a great Sunday everyone!

Bomb set North Steyne 0730

Crowds are hiding, it was mobbed at Manly from early

South Curly sets were solid at 0740

Nice section at south Curly

Dee Why beach

Dee Why beach sets smaller than elsewhere

Longish waits for the fun size ones at the point at 0755

Even busier than Manly at Longy this morning

Bomb sets noticeably bigger at Longy than the Dee Why end

Weather Situation
A high pressure system currently centred in the western Tasman Sea will continue to move east. Winds will turn northwest to northeasterly today. A strong gusty south to southwesterly change is expected to move along the coast during Monday, reaching the far north early Tuesday.
Forecast for Sunday until midnight
Winds
Northerly 10 to 15 knots, reaching up to 20 knots offshore in the late evening.
Seas
Around 1 metre.
Swell
Southerly 2 metres, decreasing to 1.5 metres around midday, then tending south to southeasterly 1.5 metres later in the evening.
Weather
Partly cloudy.
Monday 23 May
Strong Wind Warning for Monday for Sydney Coast
Winds
North to northwesterly 15 to 20 knots turning west to southwesterly 20 to 25 knots in the middle of the day. Winds reaching up to 30 knots during the afternoon and evening.
Seas
1 to 2 metres, increasing to 2 to 3 metres around midday.
Swell
Southeasterly 1 to 1.5 metres, decreasing to around 1 metre during the morning, then tending southerly 1 to 1.5 metres later in the evening.
Weather
Partly cloudy. 40% chance of showers offshore, 20% chance elsewhere.
Tuesday 24 May
Winds
Southwesterly 20 to 30 knots.
Seas
2 to 3 metres.
Swell
Southerly 2 to 3 metres, increasing to 3 to 5 metres during the morning.
Weather
Mostly sunny.

1000 UPDATE:
Perfect conditions wind wise and the 80% chance of rain doesn’t look like applying this morning.
North Steyne to Queenscliff was knee to chest and not super consistent, but unlike Curly and Dee Why, it actually had a few banks. Dee Why beach was a riot of pretty shutdowns and the point was imposing very long waits on the patient crew bobbing around there. Not really surfable on most of the Collaroy Narrabeen stretch, but, as usual, there was a small crowd chasing waist to chest plusses at Northy.

Smooth shutdown at twin dunnies

Northy crew jagging a few 0920

Dee Why shorey 0910

Empty at No Mans (it shut down of course)

Dee Why point, inside 0900

North Steyne

Queensie dribbler at 0830

North Steyne pearler 0820

Hello Friends,

Glassy start to Thursday morning and as forseen by the models, we have some solid sets in the mix. Waves were into the chest plus range on sets at Manly, head high but kinda fat at Curly and wasit to shoulder with odd pluses at Dee Why.
Swell was close to the 2 metre mark and coming mainly from the SSE at about 9 seconds apart.
The Bureau tells us to expect the SE component to fade this afternoon. Wind should be E-SE 10-15kts later. Tide will hit low at 1110 and back to high at 1715.
Getting a video clip from Dee Why together right now, so expect that up shortly…
Have a great Thursday one and all!

Trimming on a little one at south Steyne

Looming rain showers over the Bower at 0715

Sizable sets at Curly

Pulling into one at Dee Why with a mouth-mount rolling

Gliding at the point 0740

Making the most of a Dee Why shutdown at 0740

Hello Friends,

Not a day when many folks want to go for a surf – despite the fact that there is some size around and even a few places that aren’t totally ripped to bits by the SSE wind.
At 0830 there were a few folks having a go at Manly in the rather soft looking waist to chest-ish conditions. Curly was a write-off and at Dee Why you could sort of contemplate the point and the beach. Size there was similar to Manly, maybe a touch bigger. But again there was a flabbiness to the quality.
At 0700 the MHL buoy was detecting 3.5 metres of 10-sec south swell. Tide was high at 0635 and will be low at 1320. As the Goat noted in his forecast last night, the Bureau has hoisted the large and powerful surf conditions warnings. These now extend to Monday – along with that wretched south wind.
A well, at least there are waves of a sort if you’re really hanging out to get wet.
Have a happy Friday one and all!

Queenscliff peak at 0830

Working the mal at mid-Steyne

Momentary section at Dee Why point about 0850

Contemplating the possibilities at Dee Why

Weather Situation
A low pressure system lies over the central Tasman Sea while a high pressure system southeast of the Bight extends a ridge to the New South Wales coast. These two systems are directing fresh to strong southerly winds along New South Wales coastal waters. Winds will gradually ease and shift southeasterly over the next two days as the low moves further east and the high moves into the southwestern Tasman Sea, maintaining a ridge to the north coast. Winds will turn northeasterly along southern parts on Sunday and Monday whilst the ridge maintains fresh southeasterly winds along the north coast.
Forecast for Friday until midnight
Strong Wind Warning for Friday for Sydney Coast
Winds
Southerly 20 to 25 knots, reaching up to 30 knots in the morning.
Seas
2 to 3 metres.
Swell
Southeasterly 1 to 1.5 metres, increasing to 1 to 2 metres offshore.
Weather
Cloudy. 50% chance of showers.
Saturday 6 February
Winds
Southeasterly 15 to 20 knots, reaching up to 25 knots offshore in the morning.
Seas
1.5 to 2 metres, decreasing to 1 to 1.5 metres around midday.
Swell
Southeasterly 1.5 to 2.5 metres.
Weather
Cloudy. 20% chance of a shower.
Caution
Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as crossing bars by boat and rock fishing.
Sunday 7 February
Winds
Southeasterly 10 to 15 knots.
Seas
Below 1 metre.
Swell
Southeasterly 1.5 to 2 metres.
Weather
Cloudy. 20% chance of a shower.
Caution
Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as crossing bars by boat and rock fishing.
Please be aware
Wind gusts can be 40 percent stronger than the averages given here, and maximum waves may be up to twice the height.
Nearby Coastal Waters

This forecast is also available via scheduled broadcasts on marine radio.
Latest Coastal Observations
Tide Predictions
The next routine forecast will be issued at 4:05 pm EDT Friday.
Product IDN11009

Dark grey skies and chop-inducing light easterly onshore with a high tide at North Steyne this morning when I stopped to shoot a video minute. The two metre 12-sec east swell was quite consistent and though most waves were unmakeable shutdowns, the fun ones were reasonably plentiful for the sizable crowd.

Hello Friends,

Grey and chilly as I made the run back from Manly this morning. Swell has slipped another notch down toward unsurfability, but there were definitely still a few waist plus waves to be found from Manly to Dee Why. Wind was light and swell was a touch under the 1.5 metre mark from the SE at 13 seconds apart. We’re coming off an 0610 low and headed to high at 1230.
Manly action was pretty much confined to a couple of peaks at Queensy. I’d call it knee to waist with the odd plus into the chest range.
Curly activity was likewise restricted to the north end and was more waist to chest with the odd plus for the moderate size crowd.
Dee Why point was knee with odd pluses into waist or even a bit better. The mals had the best of it I reckon.
Speaking of Mals, they were looking like the go-to gear for Longy. Wave faces were a flabby knee to waist plus up that way as of 0845.
The swell models continue to predict marginal today and then micro conditions through the weekend. But next week seems to be shaping up okay. Nothing too amazing looking, but at least there should be some activity at south magnets from midday-ish Monday.
Have yourself a fine Wednesday everybody!

Queenscliff action around 0820

Reasonable set wave face at Curly 0835

Mals only at Longy 0845

Threading the No Mans shorey 0845

Right equipment for the point at 0845

Hello Friends,

Winter solstice is shaping up to be a beautiful day. The swell has faded a fair amount overnight but there were still some waist high peaks here and there. I spotted one at Manly (see pic) and around at Curly there seemed to be another at the south end.

Heading over the hill to Dee Why revealed a similar situation. There were a couple of folks bobbing hopefully at the point, but the action, such as it is, was well up the beach toward No Mans and beyond that Longy. (The lagoon is open, so water quality will be questionable)

Swell was showing from the SE at 1.3 metres with a period of 13 seconds at 0700, but I reckon you’d be doing well to get that much wave face on the average one. What’s more, as we head to the high tide at 1230, the swell is supposed to drop. So the earlier the better.

Outlook according to the models is for marginal conditions through to Friday morning when there may be a small short period east pulse. Beyond that, there could be another possibly long period pulse early next week. By that stage your correspondent will be on the other side of the planet where surf prospects are looking pretty ordinary I have to say. Expect the usual postcards!

Have yourself a top old Monday and stay happy!

Fitting into a little one at Manly

Up the beach at Dee Why at 0800

Weather Situation
A strong high pressure system is centred near the New South Wales coast and is moving slowly eastwards over the Tasman Sea. A trough is expected to bring south to southwesterly change during Thursday.
Forecast for Monday until midnight
Winds
West to northwesterly about 10 knots tending northerly 10 to 15 knots in the middle of the day.
Seas
Below 1 metre, increasing to around 1 metre by early evening.
Swell
Southerly 1.5 to 2 metres, decreasing to 1 to 1.5 metres around midday.
Weather
Partly cloudy. 40% chance of showers offshore this morning. Near zero chance of rain elsewhere.
Tuesday 23 June
Winds
Northerly 15 to 20 knots.
Seas
Around 1 metre, increasing to 1 to 1.5 metres around midday.
Swell
Southerly around 1 metre, increasing to 1 to 1.5 metres offshore.
Weather
Mostly sunny.
Wednesday 24 June
Winds
Northerly 10 to 15 knots turning northwesterly 15 to 20 knots during the evening.
Seas
Around 1 metre, increasing to 1 to 1.5 metres offshore.
1st Swell
South to southeasterly around 1 metre.
2nd Swell
Northeasterly around 1 metre.
Weather
Cloudy. 30% chance of rain.

Hello again!

I envy you if you were able to get in the water this morning. Conditions weren’t all time by any stretch of the imagination, but that said, they weren’t dire either. I’d call it 6/10 for being clean, waist to chest on sets but somewhat flabby thanks to an average period of around 7.5 seconds and a high tide at 0935.

As with yesterday, you’ll need to pick your peak with care because the energy focus tends to be brief.

Swell is supposed to pick up this morning as the wind goes around to the SE and gets up to 15-25kts. The Bureau’s even issued a hazardous surf warning – although there doesn’t seem to be much showing on the buoys for now. Tomorrow’s shaping to be southerly all day, so surf options are likely to be severely limited. Oh, and there’s going to be the odd shower too.

Don’t miss it!

North Steyne 0820

South Steyne pretty

South Curly 0830

No Man’s 0840

DY beach style

DY beach whack

South Narra little peak at 0900

Northy fun looking and busy

Hello Friends,

A drippy start to Wednesday but even with an approaching high tide (0850), there were a few waist to chest wave faces at the better spots. The 0700 data from offshore showed 1.7 metres of SE swell at 13 seconds. The spectra reveals that it’s a mix of 7-8 sec east and longer period SE and that’s a good combo for Sydney as it tends to deliver peaky conditions for most beaches. As the pictures show, there were waves of some sort from south Steyne to Queensie, from south to north Curly, from the point at Dee Why up to No Mans and at Northy.

The Bureau reckons the NE component should pick up across the middle part of the day and that wind will be from the N to NW. That’ll foreclose a few of this morning’s options, but there should still be something around if you’re keen.

Tomorrow the outlook is for SW early grading to weak SE later. Our combo is predicted to continue with both the south and NE swell size expected to come up a touch. The big question is what will the average period look like. The Bureau doesn’t forecast period, but the models are pointing to a slight decrease for tomorrow and then a bump back up Friday. Should the surfable somewhere through the week I’d say.

On another matter, yesterday I dropped in on the final walk-through meeting for Surfrider Foundation’s big International Surfing Day fundraiser on Friday night and it looks like quite a night with barefoot bowls (I’ve challenged 702ABC radio’s Simon Marnie to a game) through to the Celibate Rifles. Jack McCoy’s gonna show some of his all-time best footage and of course the place will be swarming with surfing royalty. Hope to see you there!

Don’t miss it!

This morning’s piccies

0745 catching one at south Steyne

Queensie situation

North Curly in the rain

South Curly section 0750

Section of the morning, Dee Why point

Throwing some spray at Dee Why beach 0810

No Man’s sorta something

Northy rider at 0825