Explore / Australia · New South Wales
Sydney.
Now
· updated 11 hours agoFlat to 1m early week under moderate to strong northwest wind, building to 2m south swell with strong southwest influence by Wednesday under strong west-northwest wind. Thursday holds steady at 2m south swell under moderate west-southwest wind. Friday peaks at 2m south swell with strong southwest influence under moderate southwest wind easing to glassy northeast by evening — looks like Friday evening will be the best window. Weekend eases to 1-2m south-southeast swell under glassy to light north-northwest wind. Next week begins with fading 1m south swell under light west-southwest wind building to moderate, then a fresh 1-2m south pulse arrives Tuesday under moderate southwest wind building to blown-out southeast by evening. Mid-week steadies at 2-2.5m south-southeast swell under light to moderate southeast wind, before a fresh 2-3m east-southeast swell with strong south influence arrives Thursday under
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About Sydney
Sydney has two surf coasts split by the harbour. The Northern Beaches run 30 km north from Manly to Palm Beach: a string of east-facing beaches and one sand-bottom peak at North Narrabeen, just inside the lagoon mouth. The Eastern Beaches run south through Bondi, Tamarama, Maroubra, and end at Cronulla, with Shark Island slab a paddle offshore. Manly hosted the first World Championships in 1964, and the Sydney Surf Pro has run on the WSL Challenger Series since 2020, settled at North Narrabeen since 2024.
June through August is most consistent. Tasman Sea lows feed long-period south to south-east swell, 12 to 20 s, that wakes the whole coast. Summer adds Coral Sea cyclone pulses from the east through north-east, shorter and quicker to fade. A working day is 1.5 to 3 m. The clean wind is west to south-west, offshore at the east-facing beaches. The north-east sea breeze fills most summer afternoons. The southerly buster, an abrupt south change with 40-knot gusts, hits roughly 32 times a year, mostly spring and summer. Dawn beats both winds.
Water sits at 18 to 19 °C in September, 23 to 24 °C in February. A 3/2 covers winter, boardies and a rashie do summer. Crowds are the headline hazard. Bondi is the most photographed lineup in the country, full of beginners on rented foamies. Maroubra is a local stronghold and not the place to drop in. Tamarama runs the highest rescue rate per bather of any patrolled NSW beach; the rips there move fast. After heavy rain, expect stormwater plumes, and skip the urban beaches for a day. When a southerly buster hits, tuck into the south corners of Dee Why or North Narrabeen. When the sea breeze blows out the rest, Bondi faces enough south to stay rideable.