What is the best tide for Manly?

Manly works best on mid tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.

What swell direction is best for Manly?

S–SE swell suits Manly best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.

Is Manly good for beginners?

Manly suits beginner surfers, over sand, with the Bower and Fairy Bower reef at the southern end. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.

What is the bottom like at Manly?

sand, with the Bower and Fairy Bower reef at the southern end. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Manly on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Manly surf report and forecast

Reef and sandManly, NSWForecast 6:46pm

Forecast for the selected hour

Now · 8pm

2–3 ft · sets to 4

Poor-FairNo window today · next tomorrow 6–11am

The swell and wind hold it back.

3-hourlyGlobal model6-hourly

Hour by hour · TodaySunrise 6:10 · tap an hour

SurfftWindmphTideftSwells · from

Model, not a camera ·Today 8pm GMT+11

Open on the map

The wave field solved for this hour on the real seafloor, playing forward. A model, not a camera.

Loads when it comes into view.

The wave field solved for this hour on the real seafloor, playing forward. A model, not a camera.

This hour

The 8pm readingSwell, wind, tide, breaker, energy, water

Swell2.9 ft · 5 s · ENEMakes the wave: 50% of the energy. Direction at the break.
2.7 ft · 8 s · SESecondary: 44% of the energy. Direction at the break. Bent 16° from SE in deep water.
1.0 ft · 9 s · ENESecondary: 5% of the energy. Direction at the break.
Wind14 mph from the NEOnshore to a shoreline facing 69°Strong
Tide-1.1 ft, fallingNext low -1.4 ft at 9:28pm · NAVD88, TICON sydney_fort_denison-60370-aus-bom predicted (no observed source in AU)
BreakerSpillingBreaks in about 5 ft of water
Energy32 kJHeight² × period²Marginal

High confidence.

Best windowNone today · next Tomorrow 6–11am

No usable window in daylight today.

Against what Manly likesWhy it is Poor-Fair, not Fair

Preferred tide and swell are surfer-consensus notes for this spot, not yet reviewed against measurements. Wind is judged by the general rule (light or offshore helps). No percent match: these are plain states and reasons.

Nearby at 8pmFreshwater, Curl Curl and 3 more

Compare on the map

The break

The seafloorSand, with the Bower and Fairy Bower reef at the southern end

Loading the seafloor under Manly…

Open the seafloor on the map

Shallow is light, deep is dark; contours every few feet; the relief is exaggerated.

Bottomsand, with the Bower and Fairy Bower reef at the southern end
DepthNSW Marine LiDAR Topo-Bathy 2018 (5 m, AHD). Depth shown is below the selected hour’s tide.
CoverageRock reef and headland shapes resolve well. Nearshore sandbars are interpolated flat in this dataset, so a beachbreak’s bar is not in the picture. A tile’s year is its publication, not the survey date.

Why it breaks like this3 swells at once, the seafloor is neutral here, where it trips

Read from the current hour (today at 8pm). Each number, and what it does to the wave.

3 swells at once
2.9 ft at 5s from the ENE carrying 50% of the energy, plus 2.7 ft at 8s from the SE (44%), plus 1.0 ft at 9s from the ENE (5%).
The shorter, steeper train is carrying most of the energy here, so expect a choppier, less organised lineup than the longest period in the list would suggest on its own. Why period matters more than height
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 1.00 · 59% of modelled rays break.
Energy arrives roughly as it left deep water: this bottom neither concentrates the swell nor fans it out, so what the buoy sees is close to what you get. Why two breaks a mile apart differ
Where it trips
-1.1 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 5 ft of water.
A wave breaks when the water gets shallow enough relative to its height, so that depth is a contour on the seafloor, and the tide slides the whole break up and down it through the day. Same swell, different spot, a few hours apart. How the tide moves the break
Wind is onshore
14 mph from the NE, against a shoreline facing 69°.
Pushing into the back of the wave from the sea, making it crumble and break early instead of standing up. Note this is measured against the angle THIS break faces, which is why one spot can be blown out while the one round the headland is fine.

How Manly worksA long beach from Queenscliff down to the Bower, with a bank…

A long beach from Queenscliff down to the Bower, with a bank somewhere along it on most days and a right off the reef at the south end when there is size. The most surfed beach in Australia, and the easiest to reach.

Best tidemid
Best swellS–SE swell
Suitsbeginner

3 swell trains in the current hour · How this is calculated

Common questions4 questions about Manly

What is the best tide for Manly?: Manly works best on mid tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.
What swell direction is best for Manly?: S–SE swell suits Manly best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.
Is Manly good for beginners?: Manly suits beginner surfers, over sand, with the Bower and Fairy Bower reef at the southern end. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.
What is the bottom like at Manly?: sand, with the Bower and Fairy Bower reef at the southern end. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Manly on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.