Best area in NSW for decent consistent waves, minimal crowds?

I'd probably stick to the goldy to be honest, stay off the points and the crowds thin out.
Warm water, no Covid, labor government, bikinis etc. Win win

South coast national parks

Great topic juegasiempre and I look forward to hearing others opinions .

If water temp is not an issue I would guess that south of Sydney would be more consistent but Swellnet staff would be a way more informed source .

My brother has just moved to Yamba . Never surfed that area but it does seem to have good waves .

Thing is the further south you go, the less consistent it is, away from say a couple of swell magnets.

Doesn't get the NE windswell size that Sydney gets in summer, or the easterly trade-swell, and is also shadowed by southerly swells which Sydney and further north gets. When it does get swell though the options and reefs are a big plus. And it's also less crowded.

Otherwise further north you get more consistent swell, but winds can become an issue. It's also sand dependant. It's a hard one but you want an area with a good back beach that is offshore in the NE'ly but also a point etc that handles size and S winds.

Not going to name regions either but that's my thoughts.

Great question.

This could be an extremely fun thread. Can't see people coming on and saying I live at ?????? awesome place, good coffee, allways a wave about and is just a magnet for any swell in the E to S quadrant. Come join us and hell, bring your friends. Well known contributor on here might even point out the best tide and wind combo at the Ox and provide a link to the local Real Estate Agent's website.

Or maybe there could be some some covert misinformation.

For whar it's worth Number 1 on my list is Fingal Bay, Port Stephens area.

Ballina area.

(sorry far north coasters)

Where crg lives, that guy's always scoring.

zenagain wrote:

Ballina area.

(sorry far north coasters)

Yeah thats my pick for most consistent swell and good waves can go further south when needed, plus in reach of a city, international airport, perfect climate etc

South Coast NSW is beautiful and good waves when on but less consistent and high bush fire risk in most areas.

Sydney coast would have been awesome before white fella came.

Toonalook Point

Ballina is crowded now (and Lennox even worse) so loses too many points on the minimal human criteria.

Lord Howe

To juegas.... ahh the original poster.

Beware of all these posts suggesting "Ballina Area" or "South Coast" they are fake news designed to lead you astray.

I've given my #1 but just between me and you my #2 Bondi Beach. Flies under the radar so you'll get plenty of waves. Keep it on the down low brah.

I don’t think it’s that easy to just move to Lord Howe, udo

zenagain wrote:

Ballina area.

(sorry far north coasters)

Move to Japan , apparently youth aren’t taking up surfing and lots of good uncrowded waves if you know where to look . Skiing in winter is first class, nice people and food. Zen highly recommends the place .

Yep, Japan NSW 2026.

Craig - Are there any spots/regions in NSW that you would knock OFF the list due to off shore islands creating a swell shadow ? Eg Solitary Islands .

You lost me when you put 'minimal crowds / NSW' in the same sentence.

If looking for relaxed crew and minimal localism etc Maroubra should be very high on the list.

Hutchy, there are areas of the coast that look to be more prone to wind and that's the main issue I reckon, also not offering a protected option from said wind. Yamba region seems to cop the S/SE-SE winds much more than other spots and doesn't get that local land breeze under synoptic southerlies as much as regions further north and south.

I've not noticed the Coffs Coast missing out on swell from those islands. Quite the opposite and a magnet for most swells.

I'd say the region south of Port Mac to Forster is a bit lacking. Sure they pump when the sand is good but usually hit and miss.

Craig-Had a quick trip to Narooma many years back . We started around Bermagui and had very small waves .

We went to the Narooma pub and the locals said they were having good waves . They weren't bullshitting as we found out the next day . Is Montague Is off shore there ?

Remember New Brighton and the region having howling Northerlies in September/November . I wonder if they will arrive early this year ?

Caloundra is full of New Zealanders....Its just like you went there anyway.....
Watch your thongs though...

Yep Montague Island is right off Narooma, just east-southeast.

Spots south of Bermagui miss a lot of south swell due to Green Cape when coming out of Bass Strait, but perform better from polar storms and lows sitting in the southern Tasman Sea,

We should have gone a bit further north of Narooma it sounds like . No idea what the swell direction was or even the time of year . The 80's . If you can remember the details you weren't having a good time .

Full swell window exposure for 180 degrees; from NE windswell, to NE cyclones swells, ENE through ESE trade swells, long range E swells, Tasman sea SE swells , refracted S swells, long period polar S swells.
Spots to surf when it's pumping, spots to grovel when its caca.

A proper surf "season".

A good flathead spot nearby for when the N'lies blow.

Everywhere is crowded.

Given that NSW and VIC could be barred from QLD for some time yet ,and the current shitshow down here,, I'd be hanging up there.
Just curious ,,how have there crowd numbers been on the Goldy since the NSW statewide lockdown started ??

juegasiempre wrote:

As for people being protective of their spots, i get it! But this is short term.

Being a bit guarded isn't in respect to your situation, but more so others reading the thread who'll use the info ;) That'd be small numbers anyway, but I find it's always handy to not give too much away.

If you are 35 and retiring, head away from east coast. WA or pacific islands would be my pick.

smordue wrote:

If you are 35 and retiring, head away from east coast. WA or pacific islands would be my pick.

WA surf and tourist towns are as busy as its east coast counterparts now with Covid (unless you go south coast WA but then you'll be fighting GW's the size of small busses)

Dapto or Albion Park Rail so you are not far from the Dapto doggies.

Well you got the first non sarcastic reply from the Bos.
The shark attacks have made me wary surfing alone up here. I'll take another twat in the water with me on the open beaches MNC

All hats off to you carving out a different path mate. You may not feel like sharing but what has caused you to set flight retire at such an early age?

Queef Jerky wrote:

Well you got the first non sarcastic reply from the Bos.
The shark attacks have made me wary surfing alone up here. I'll take another twat in the water with me on the open beaches MNC

Pretty sure that surfing alone in regional NSW won’t be a problem you’ve got to worry about once they release the winged monkeys of Sydney in a few weeks.

My advice as someone from colder water is to stick where it's warmer. Nothing beats being able to just jump in and out of the water for a surf and hang out on the beach afterwards in the sun. Everywhere that used to be "uncrowded because it's so cold" is getting pretty blood crowded at times - not uncommon to surf certain spots in Tassie in the middle of winter with well over 50 people in the water. I've seen it as bad as 80-100, with air temps of 5 degrees. It's one thing dealing with crowds, but it's another dealing with them when you're shivering cold and won't warm up for another 6 hours.

For sure Dan. No way I’d be jumping out of a warm bed to surf some of the waves I’ll joyfully splash about in purely due to the fact that it’s a pleasure being in warm water or refreshing out of the heat. Summer sessions on the foamie riding utter dribble, simply would not occur if they involved any chill factor.

dandandan wrote:

My advice as someone from colder water is to stick where it's warmer. Nothing beats being able to just jump in and out of the water for a surf and hang out on the beach afterwards in the sun. Everywhere that used to be "uncrowded because it's so cold" is getting pretty blood crowded at times - not uncommon to surf certain spots in Tassie in the middle of winter with well over 50 people in the water. I've seen it as bad as 80-100, with air temps of 5 degrees. It's one thing dealing with crowds, but it's another dealing with them when you're shivering cold and won't warm up for another 6 hours.

Sounds like you need more contests and work by the local surfing association down there to increase participation levels. Surfing with only 50 to 100 out is just greedy.

Fully commited, sounds unreal. Good luck.
Make sure to keep us posted whatever you decide

X2

I didn't mean to give you a hard time that while back and I know this fucking scourge of a virus has stymied you somewhat, but totally admire you setting out into the unknown.

I sincerely wish you all the very best.

Btw the way, you wrote living "aboard" assuming you meant 'abroad'. Have you considered a yacht? I always thought to myself if everything went pear shaped in my life I'd sell up and sail off into the sunset.

The answer to this question depends a lot on the sort of waves you prefer surfing.