Surf Forecasts:
Cape Paterson surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, WSW swell with 5,181 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cape Paterson this week:
The surf forecast for Cape Paterson over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 22s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cape Paterson in the next 16 days are 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Paterson over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Cape Paterson’s got a mixed bag coming over the next couple of weeks. Water temp’s about average for this time of year, no surprises there. The first good window is this Sunday, July 19th. The standout is Sunday morning – we’ve got a clean 4ft swell from the WSW at 13 seconds, with a light northerly cross-off breeze. The combined energy is 466 (moderate), so the lines should be holding up nice. That’s your best bet.
Sunday afternoon drops to 3ft, glassy, but energy drops to 390 (weak) – mellow. Monday the 20th has a 4ft, 16-second swell, but the wind picks up to 16 mph from the NW, making it only marginal. Energy is 647 (moderate). Monday afternoon goes smaller and messier. Tuesday the 21st offers 5ft swell from the WSW at 14 seconds, energy at 969 (moderate) in the morning, with a moderate cross-off wind. That’s your second-best window. Tuesday afternoon is similar, 5ft, 13 seconds, energy 831 (moderate), gentle cross-off.
From Wednesday the 22nd, things turn ugly. Wednesday morning has a 6ft short-period swell at 6 seconds, with 25 mph NW cross-wind – messy. Energy is 523 (moderate). Wednesday afternoon jumps to 8ft, still short, with onshore wind at 19 mph – total write-off. Thursday the 23rd brings a 10ft SW groundswell at 13 seconds, but the wind is 22 mph onshore from the SW, plus rain. Energy is massive at 3489 (strong) – unsurfable. Friday the 24th is 10ft to 12ft, heavy cross-winds, energy up to 5181 (very strong). Too big and messy, experts only.
The weekend of the 25th and 26th sees the swell drop to 7ft-5ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore or cross-off, so it’s choppy. Sunday morning the 26th is the best of that stretch: 5ft at 12 seconds, light cross-off, energy 746 (moderate), clean. A decent session. Then Monday the 27th brings a 10ft pulse from the W at 12 seconds, energy 3876 (strong), but the wind is a fresh cross-off from the NNW, so it’s clean and big. Experts only. Tuesday the 28th pushes to 13ft with cross-winds, energy 5367 (very strong) – too big and messy.
The rest into early August drops the swell to 7ft and below, but the wind stays mostly onshore, keeping it choppy. There’s a glimmer on Monday morning, August 3rd, with a 3ft, 17-second groundswell from the SW, glassy, energy 507 (moderate). Clean but small. All up, the best bet is Sunday morning, July 19th, and a close second is Tuesday afternoon, July 21st. Hold out for those windows.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue night, min 8°C on Fri morning). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 7 | WSW 8 | SW 13 | SW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 10 | WSW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 722 | 402 | 283 | 161 | 627 | 229 | 264 | 969 | 824 | 608 | 276 | 512 | 1108 | 3489 | 3574 | 3929 | 1924 | 5181 | 3289 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 2:53AM0.75m | 3:26PM0.83m | 3:48AM0.75m | 4:06PM0.82m | 4:39AM0.74m | 4:44PM0.80m | 5:28AM0.72m | 5:21PM0.76m | 6:14AM0.70m | 5:57PM0.73m | 7:01AM0.68m | 6:33PM0.69m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:03AM0.08m | 9:43PM0.11m | 9:51AM0.13m | 10:28PM0.09m | 10:36AM0.17m | 11:11PM0.08m | 11:19AM0.22m | 11:51PM0.09m | 12:01PM0.27m | 00:31AM0.11m | 12:43PM0.31m | 1:13AM0.13m | |||||||
 |  | |  | |  | | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 16 | WSW 10 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | E 10 | E 10 | — | — | WSW 16 | SW 14 | — | SW 14 |
| kJ | 722 | 402 | 283 | 161 | 627 | 180 | 264 | 969 | 824 | 608 | 247 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 3288 | 915 | — | 3289 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 18 | SSW 10 | SW 15 | WSW 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | NE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 48 | 47 | 154 | 10 | 229 | 101 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 16 | 60 | 29 | 10 | 14 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NW 3 | NNW 3 | NW 4 | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | NW 3 | NNW 4 | W 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 8 | SW 13 | SW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 10 | WSW 14 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 2 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 276 | 512 | 1108 | 3489 | 3574 | 3929 | 1924 | 5181 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 105 | 105 | 114 | 117 | 421 | 126 | 113 | 141 | 141 | 114 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Coast of Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Cape Paterson 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 Cape Paterson Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cape Paterson provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cape Paterson can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cape Paterson 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 (Cape Paterson) 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 Cape Paterson 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.
Cape Paterson is 70 km (43 miles) from Cranbourne. If you plan a holiday in East Coast of Victoria, look for hotels and other accommodation in Cranbourne. Cranbourne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest