Surf spot

Nielson Park

Forecast conditions and map view for Nielson Park in Australia, NSW, Sydney South. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: Australia, NSW, Sydney South
Coordinates: -33.8499, 151.2672

Metric
Metric	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00
Wave height (m)	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.8	1.5	1.2	1.6	1.5	1.2	1.2	1.8	1.8	1.9	1.8	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.2	1.3	1.2	1.1	1	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7
Wave direction	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	SSE	SSE	SSE	S	S	S	S	S	SSE	S	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE
Wave period (s)	9	9.4	9.6	9.8	9.9	9.9	9.8	9.9	9.9	9.9	9.8	9.4	9.7	10.2	7.3	4.9	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	5	6.5	4.3	4.5	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.8	5	6.3	6.5	7.8	7.8	8.2	9	8.7	8.1	8.4	8.2	8	8	7.8	7.6	7.4	7.2	7.2	7.2	6.8	6.8	6.8	6.5	6.8	7.6	7.2
Wave energy (kJ)	143	143	156	168	173	173	164	159	153	145	137	114	108	120	58	29	30	27	23	19	19	28	22	19	22	19	17	14	10	8	5	57	177	169	323	315	218	225	416	463	506	415	324	270	220	191	170	149	162	126	102	89	61	66	50	54
Wind speed (km/h)	8	7.2	9.6	5.3	20.1	20.2	17.1	9.1	8	6.7	7.1	6.1	20.9	26.2	19.6	5.6	7.1	9.2	9.2	10	15.8	15.4	11	9.1	8.3	10.5	16.1	17.7	22.2	21.3	32.5	33.9	31.9	27.6	29.9	31.6	39.4	33.1	29.1	28.2	28	24.2	21.4	27.4	25.2	23	15.6	11.1	10.1	10.5	12.8	6.1	14.1	22.9	16.3	8.4
Wind direction	WCross	WCross	WNWCross-on	NNWOnshore	ECross	ENECross-on	NECross-on	NNWOnshore	NOnshore	NNWOnshore	NWCross-on	NNEOnshore	ENECross-on	NECross-on	NECross-on	NECross-on	NNWOnshore	NWCross-on	NWCross-on	NWCross-on	ENECross-on	NNEOnshore	NOnshore	NOnshore	WCross	WCross	WSWCross-off	SWCross-off	SECross-off	SECross-off	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWCross-off	SWCross-off	SSWOffshore	SBlown out	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SWCross-off	SWCross-off	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSEOffshore	SSEOffshore	SWCross-off	WCross	WCross	WCross	NWCross-on	ENECross-on	NECross-on	NECross-on	NOnshore

Nielson Park, NSW (Sydney South) is a small, scenic harbour-side surf spot in Vaucluse, on Sydney’s eastern harbour. It’s more of a paddle / longboard / small-wave playground than a heavy open-ocean surf break.

What it’s like

Wave type: Protected harbour swell and wind-chop, with small reforming waves rather than consistent ocean surf.
Best for: Beginners, longboarders, SUPs, foilers, and anyone after an easy, mellow session.
Wave quality: Usually soft and crumbly, sometimes with short rideable sections when conditions line up.
Crowds: Can be busy because it’s easy-access and sheltered, especially when the rest of Sydney is blown out.

Conditions

Works best with small to moderate swell and clean winds.
Being in the harbour, it’s often less powerful than beach breaks along the coast.
Wave size is generally small, and it’s highly dependent on boat wash, wind direction, and local bathymetry.

Beach / setting

Set inside Nielsen Park Reserve, with a beautiful parkland backdrop, calm water, and easy shoreline access.
More of a family-friendly swimming and paddle area than a classic surf beach.
The environment is sheltered and picturesque, making it a popular spot even beyond surf conditions.

Things to know

Not a reliable “performance surf” location.
Can be affected by boats, swimmers, and local traffic in the harbour.
Good option when you want something safe, mellow, and scenic rather than punchy surf.