North Narrabeen Swell Window
Sydney, NSW, Australia · part of the North Narrabeen spot guide
- Swell window (from)
- 40°–175° (NE–S)
- Best direction
- ~90° (E)
- Period sweet spot
- 10–15 s
- Open-ocean height (Hs)
- 3–10 ft
- Resulting faces
- 2–12 ft
Open-ocean vs. the face: the heights on buoys and forecast models are significant wave height (Hs) in deep water. What you ride is the breaking face, which depends on period, direction and this break's bathymetry — that's why the two rows above differ. PierMonkey's spot ratings already do this conversion for you.
The window runs from north-east round to south, roughly 40 to 175 degrees, but the two halves make different waves. The Alley lefts are best in east-north-east to east swell — around 50 to 100 degrees — which hits the lagoon bank obliquely and peels; south-east to south swell, 110 to 175 degrees, brings size and lights up the rights into the northern rip. North of about 40 degrees the headland casts a shadow. Ten seconds or more of period organises the bank; 12 to 15 seconds is East Coast Low territory.
This is a beach break, so the face runs close to the open-ocean height, with a modest wedge on the bank for mid-period swell and a stronger jack on long-period south groundswell refracting around Long Reef. It works from a couple of feet and holds to about 12; beyond that the beach closes out and the bombies take over.