Surf Forecasts:
Bar Beach surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, S swell with 2,216 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bar Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Bar Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bar Beach in the next 16 days are 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bar Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Bar Beach.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a dud to start the weekend. Saturday and Sunday are write-offs with onshore winds and messy, poor surf. The water temp is sitting around 66°F which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first real glimmer of hope comes Monday morning, the 20th of July. The swell drops to a clean 5ft from the East, with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind goes glassy – a NNW breeze at just 3 mph. That’s the kind of morning you want to be out there. The energy is moderate (580), so there’s enough push. It’s a beginner-friendly break, but for a Monday morning with glass and clean lines, anyone can have a ball.
Wednesday morning the 22nd is a bit of a letdown – swell drops to 2ft from the ENE, and while the wind is offshore from the WNW, it’s just too small to get excited about. The energy is weak (119).
Now, hold onto your boards. The standout run kicks off on Thursday the 23rd, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. We get a pulse of 8ft southerly swell on Thursday afternoon, but the wind is a fresh 19 mph onshore from the South, making it total choppy junk. Skip that. The real payoff is Friday the 24th. Friday morning delivers 7ft of S swell at 10 seconds, with a clean cross-offshore breeze from the WSW. The energy is strong (858). This is proper groundswell, and while it’s getting big for beginners, for the experienced crew it’s the best on offer. Friday afternoon stays good with 6ft and glassy conditions from the East.
The weekend of the 25th and 26th sees solid, clean conditions roll through, with 4ft to 5ft S swell and offshore to cross-off winds. The energy is moderate (329 to 510). The 26th (Sunday) is particularly tidy with a NW offshore in the morning.
After that, things get a bit messy. The 28th and 29th are blown out by strong southerly winds and rain, with 5ft to 7ft of lumpy, cross-shore junk. Not worth paddling out. The first couple of days of August show a pulse of 7ft to 7ft ESE swell, but winds are light and cross-on, making it only marginal. The period is short (6 to 8 seconds), so don’t expect much shape.
Best Bet: Lock in Friday the 24th of July, morning session. That 7ft S swell, offshore breeze, and solid energy (858) is the standout. For a cleaner, mellower option, Monday morning the 20th with glassy conditions and 5ft is a treat.
Stay stoked.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the S by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 9 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 6 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 138 | 196 | 452 | 798 | 635 | 556 | 505 | 360 | 290 | 235 | 192 | 193 | 86 | 84 | 59 | 41 | 538 | 766 | 2038 | 1138 | 810 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:26AM1.38m | 11:24PM1.61m | 12:13PM1.37m | 00:10AM1.45m | 1:01PM1.37m | 00:56AM1.29m | 1:51PM1.36m | 1:46AM1.15m | 2:44PM1.37m | 2:44AM1.04m | 3:40PM1.40m | 3:53AM0.99m | 4:35PM1.45m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:12PM0.45m | 5:58AM0.26m | 6:06PM0.52m | 6:38AM0.35m | 7:03PM0.58m | 7:17AM0.43m | 8:07PM0.64m | 7:57AM0.50m | 9:20PM0.66m | 8:41AM0.54m | 10:35PM0.63m | 9:30AM0.57m | 11:38PM0.58m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | |
 | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSE 20 | S 9 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 10 | ENE 9 | SSE 9 |
| kJ | 47 | 39 | 24 | 798 | 635 | 556 | 505 | 360 | 290 | 235 | 192 | 193 | 86 | 84 | 59 | 36 | 24 | 14 | 1550 | 7 | 586 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 21 | S 20 | SSE 19 | SSE 18 | SSE 16 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | — | S 17 | ENE 9 | — | E 9 |
| kJ | 43 | 31 | 70 | 102 | 87 | 125 | 106 | 139 | 86 | 56 | 35 | 31 | 17 | 17 | 9 | 2 | — | 6 | 7 | — | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 18 | S 19 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 15 | S 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | S 14 | S 13 | — | — | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 6 | 63 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | NE 5 | — | — | WSW 3 | SSW 6 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 |
| kJ | 138 | 196 | 452 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 49 | — | — | 3 | 41 | 538 | 766 | 2038 | 1138 | 810 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 166 | 94 | 94 | 94 | 3 | 43 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 269 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 42 | 418 | 7 | 42 | 7 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Bar Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Bar Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Bar Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bar Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bar Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Bar Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Bar Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Newcastle? If you are looking for accommodation near Bar Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Newcastle, consider staying in Newcastle which is 2 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around Newcastle where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Catherine Hill Bay which is 29 km (18 miles) away, Port Stephens, Cessnock and Central Coast.
Nearest