Surf Forecasts:
Cactus surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 15s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, SSW swell with 3,156 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cactus this week:
The surf forecast for Cactus over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 26s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cactus in the next 16 days are 2.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cactus over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here.
Alright, let’s talk about the extended outlook for Cactus (Big Island) . It’s a bit of a waiting game, but there are a couple of proper standouts if you’ve got the patience.
We’ve got a few days of surf right off the bat. Tuesday morning looks pretty good – a 5ft SW swell rolling in with a long 17-second period. The energy’s moderate, water’s a normal 60°, and it’s clean with a light cross-off breeze. This is for the experienced folks though – anything over 5ft starts to get serious.
The rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday get blown out. Winds crank up to 25-30 mph from the southeast, making it a bit of a mess even though the swell sticks around. Not worth it.
Thursday and Friday clean back up with offshore winds. Thursday morning has 6ft of SW swell and a fresh offshore wind – solid. Friday is smaller, around 4ft, with a nice 15-second period. Both are good, but you’ll have company – expect some crowds.
The weekend is a write-off. Swell drops to 3-4ft max, winds get messy, and by Sunday afternoon it’s choppy cross-onshore junk. There’s a real lull from Saturday through to Tuesday the 15th.
Then we get our first proper call. Wednesday the 16th at Cactus (Big Island) , the morning session looks excellent. It’s 5ft from the SW, a 16-second period, and a moderate offshore easterly breeze keeping things clean. The energy is moderate, and it’s got a proper look to it. This is for the experienced crew, but conditions will be nice.
After that, the wind goes north and west, killing the surf for a few days. The 17th and 18th are poor, with a slight bump on the 19th but ruined by cross-shore winds.
Now, for the main event. Monday the 21st of September, afternoon at Cactus (Big Island) . This is the one. The swell jumps to 8ft from the SW with a long 16-second period. The wind drops out completely – dead glassy. The energy is massive – strong to very strong. This is big, powerful surf only for experts, but with that glassy surface and that long-period groundswell hitting the reef, it’s going to be a proper session. That’s your standout.
After that, the size holds but the wind chops up. That Monday afternoon is the window you want.
So, in a nutshell: Tuesday morning is okay, Wednesday the 16th is great, but the big one is Monday the 21st in the arvo. Long way out, so things can change, but it’s looking promising.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Tue morning, strong winds from the ESE by Wed morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Fri morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1388 | 1261 | 1096 | 2367 | 2217 | 2187 | 1571 | 1284 | 856 | 606 | 666 | 651 | 330 | 462 | 311 | 574 | 701 | 258 | 241 | 158 | 306 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:57AM1.23m | 00:28AM0.79m | 12:11PM1.28m | 00:26AM0.90m | 12:24PM1.29m | 00:33AM1.03m | 12:37PM1.26m | 00:44AM1.14m | 12:48PM1.22m | 00:58AM1.24m | 12:58PM1.18m | 1:14AM1.30m | 1:09PM1.14m | 1:31AM1.32m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:45PM0.11m | 5:45AM0.23m | 6:43PM0.10m | 6:04AM0.12m | 6:44PM0.07m | 6:23AM0.05m | 6:47PM0.04m | 6:43AM0.02m | 6:53PM-0.01m | 7:01AM0.02m | 7:01PM-0.05m | 7:19AM0.05m | 7:11PM-0.08m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — |
mm | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 |
Feels °C | 12 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 1388 | 1261 | 1096 | 2367 | 2217 | 2187 | 1571 | 1284 | 856 | 606 | 666 | 651 | 330 | 462 | 255 | 574 | 701 | 258 | 241 | 158 | 306 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 26 | SW 25 | SW 23 | — | — | SW 18 | SW 20 | SW 18 | — | WNW 5 | SSW 3 | WSW 4 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | 25 | 21 | — | — | 266 | 65 | 311 | — | 8 | 2 | 2 | 80 | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | W 4 | WSW 19 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 35 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 16 | SSE 5 | SSE 7 | S 8 | ESE 5 | E 4 | ESE 2 | ENE 3 | ENE 3 | — | ESE 4 | NNE 3 | NNW 4 | N 3 | NW 4 | SW 16 | — | — | SSE 3 | SSE 5 |
| kJ | — | 69 | 56 | 158 | 241 | 46 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 483 | — | — | 3 | 37 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1052 | 491 | 1620 | 1577 | 491 | 302 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 401 | 178 | 401 | 564 | 510 | 0 | 0 | 1219 | 552 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nullarbor | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cactus Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cactus provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cactus can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cactus 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 (Cactus) 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 Cactus 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 Nullarbor? If you are looking for accommodation near Cactus, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nullarbor, consider staying in Thevenard which is 63 km (39 miles) away.
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