
Surf Forecasts:
Cathedral Rock surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 4,044 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 16 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cathedral Rock this week:
The surf forecast for Cathedral Rock over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cathedral Rock in the next 16 days are 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cathedral Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming through at Cathedral Rock, a classic point break that gets a nice SSW swell. The water is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The week kicks off on Wednesday afternoon, July 15th, with an 12ft swell from the WSW, period 13 seconds, and a light cross breeze. The combined energy is pumping at 6697 (moderate to strong), but the wind is a bit cross, so it’s not the cleanest. It’s a bit of a lumpy one, but there’s a ton of water moving. The real standout window starts Thursday, July 16th. Thursday morning is still a bit onshore, but by Thursday afternoon, we get a magic window: the wind drops to glassy, the swell is a solid 10ft from the SW, with a 15-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, perfect for a point like Cathedral Rock. The energy is still high at 3946, and the glassy conditions mean it’ll be a dream. Friday July 17th is another beauty: morning has an 8ft SW swell, 16-second period, with a light offshore breeze. The afternoon glass-off again with the same swell. These are the days for experienced surfers – the wave size is over 8ft, so it’s big and powerful, but on a point break, it’ll be lined up. Crowds are *sometimes* here, so you might have it to yourself if you’re early.
The swell drops a bit over the weekend, but still very good. Saturday July 18th has 6ft to 6ft SW swell, with glassy conditions on Saturday afternoon. By Sunday July 19th, the swell is down to 3ft, but still clean. The following week, from Monday July 20th to Wednesday July 22nd, the swell hangs around 3ft to 4ft, with clean conditions and a cross-off breeze. It’s not the big stuff, but it’s rideable and clean.
Now, look out for Thursday July 23rd. The swell picks up again to 8ft by the afternoon, with a 16-second period and clean conditions. The energy jumps to 2668 (moderate). That’s a very good day for experienced surfers. Then, Friday July 24th gets messy with a cross-on wind, so skip it.
The next true standout is Saturday July 25th. The afternoon sees an 12ft SW swell, 16-second period, with a clean cross-off breeze. The energy is massive at 6153 (strong). This is a big, clean, powerful swell – one for the experts again. Sunday July 26th gets windy with 16 mph winds, so it’s choppy. The run continues with a monster pulse on Monday July 27th morning: a 15ft SW swell, 16-second period, with an onshore wind. The energy is a whopping 15966 (very strong). That’s a massive, powerful, but likely blown-out mess on the beach. Given the point break setup, it might be more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfing on that day. The wind switches to cross-on by the afternoon. After that, the swell slowly drops through the end of the month, with some clean windows on Wednesday July 29th (5ft-6ft, clean) and then a final long-period (20 seconds) but tiny 2ft swell on July 30th.
The best of the best: grab the Thursday afternoon July 16th glass-off, or the Friday July 17th windows. The Saturday July 25th afternoon is also a standout. These are the ones to get in the water for.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
3372 | 3936 | 3900 | 2708 | 3212 | 3001 | 1999 | 1330 | 946 | 563 | 325 | 233 | 246 | 587 | 314 | 476 | 540 | 867 | 359 | 486 | 455 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 11:12PM1.60m | 12:48PM2.02m | 00:22AM1.68m | 1:35PM2.08m | 1:26AM1.76m | 2:19PM2.11m | 2:26AM1.84m | 3:02PM2.11m | 3:21AM1.88m | 3:42PM2.07m | 4:14AM1.90m | 4:22PM1.99m | 5:07AM1.88m | 5:01PM1.89m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:49AM0.08m | 6:55PM0.73m | 6:48AM0.08m | 7:46PM0.56m | 7:44AM0.11m | 8:33PM0.41m | 8:36AM0.17m | 9:19PM0.29m | 9:26AM0.27m | 10:03PM0.20m | 10:15AM0.39m | 10:46PM0.17m | 11:03AM0.53m | ||||||||
— | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | |
— | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
3372 | 3936 | 3900 | 2708 | 3212 | 3001 | 1999 | 1330 | 946 | 563 | 325 | 233 | 127 | 587 | 314 | 476 | 540 | 867 | 359 | 486 | 455 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 17 | S 16 | S 15 | — | — | S 15 | S 15 | — | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 18 | SSW 10 | WSW 12 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 14 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | E 10 |
68 | 91 | 46 | 4 | — | — | 4 | 4 | — | 74 | 138 | 123 | 246 | 33 | 107 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 253 | 49 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 22 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SSW 10 | S 16 | SSW 10 | S 14 | — | — | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 61 | 131 | 80 | 5 | 18 | 4 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Otway | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cathedral Rock Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cathedral Rock provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cathedral Rock can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cathedral Rock 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 (Cathedral Rock) 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 Cathedral Rock 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.
Cathedral Rock is 52 km (32 miles) from the city of Geelong West. If you plan a holiday in Cape Otway, look for hotels and other accommodation in Geelong West. Geelong West has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











