
Surf Forecasts:
Cathedral Rock surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 18s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, WSW swell with 8,767 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 13s 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 Wednesday (Aug 05) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 18s. 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 4.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cathedral Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. The ocean’s been cooking up a solid SW groundswell for our stretch of coast at Cathedral Rock. It’s a point break that’s fairly consistent, so it’ll be handling this energy well. Water temp is sitting at 57°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, nothing weird going on there.
We kick things off on Wednesday the 5th with a bit of a soft start. There’s a touch of cross-on breeze and the swell is a bit messy, so it’s not going to be pretty. The energy is moderate (1801), but the quality just isn't there. This is a wait-and-see day.
Thursday the 6th cleans up with a nice NW cross-off breeze. The swell drops a touch to 4ft, but it’s clean. It’s small, but you could get a few fun ones if you’re keen.
Now, Friday the 7th is where things start to get interesting. The swell pushes back up to 6ft from the SW with a 15-second period, and we’ve got light, clean cross-off winds all day. This is prime Cathedral Rock. The point will be linking up nicely, and the long period means proper groundswell energy. This is your first standout of the week. The energy is strong (1802-1926), and the conditions are just about perfect.
Saturday the 8th sees a bit more wind, but it swings offshore from the north, keeping the face clean. The swell holds around 6ft. It’s still very surfable, but Friday had the magic.
Sunday the 9th gets blown out a bit by a strong north wind, 19 mph in the morning. The swell backs down, and it’s not really worth the effort in the chop.
Monday the 10th is a big one. The swell jumps up to 8ft, and by the afternoon, it’s pushing 10ft with a 17-second period. This is serious energy (4902). But, the wind is cross-shore, which will make it a bit lumpy. This is getting into the size where it’s for experienced surfers only. Anything over 8ft is expert territory, and this is right on the edge.
Tuesday the 11th is a bit of a mess, with rain and tricky winds. The swell drops but the quality is poor. Not our day.
Then it gets big. Wednesday the 12th sees a massive pulse of energy. The morning is 11ft, and by the afternoon, it’s a solid 15ft with a 15-second period. The energy reading is huge (12761), and this is a serious, powerful swell. The wind is cross-shore, making it a beast. This is big-wave territory, expert-only, and even then, it might be a bit of a washing machine. This is a day for watching, not paddling out.
Thursday the 13th is still huge, holding at 11ft, but the wind backs off and goes cross-off, giving us those clean, grinding lines that Cathedral Rock is known for. The energy is still massive (6285). This is a proper, heavy day for the experienced crew. This is your second standout, but it's a serious one.
Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th see the swell staying big at 11ft, but the wind and conditions get messy. Friday afternoon has onshore winds, and Saturday is cross-on. It’s looking less appealing, with the power still there but the surface getting chopped up.
Sunday the 16th, the swell starts to ease back to a more manageable 6-7ft, and the wind is light. The energy drops way down. It could be okay, but it's not the highlight.
Looking into the second week, things settle down. Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th have smaller, cleaner conditions with light winds. Wednesday the 19th looks fun again, with 6ft from the SW and a 16-second period, and clean offshore breezes. It's a return to form.
The real gem in the long-range is Thursday the 20th. We’re looking at a solid 8ft SW swell with a 16-second period and gentle offshore north winds. The energy is strong (3263), and conditions should be clean. This is a promising one, but it’s far out, so don’t book your flights just yet.
So, the best of the bunch is Friday the 7th for a clean, classic session, and the big, heavy standouts are Thursday the 13th and the long-range Thursday the 20th for those who want the real power. The 12th and 13th are for experts only, and definitely not for beginners. With this much swell and cross-shore winds, the setup could even be more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers on the big days.
Signing off, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1147 | 1049 | 591 | 719 | 711 | 861 | 1753 | 1597 | 2054 | 1715 | 1323 | 1126 | 743 | 472 | 4568 | 3539 | 4878 | 1933 | 1094 | 1291 | 3097 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:50PM1.86m | 4:35AM1.87m | 4:18PM1.82m | 5:19AM1.88m | 4:50PM1.78m | 6:08AM1.85m | 5:25PM1.73m | 7:03AM1.80m | 6:08PM1.67m | 8:08AM1.75m | 7:03PM1.60m | 9:22AM1.73m | 8:18PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:11PM0.22m | 10:29AM0.60m | 10:45PM0.16m | 11:09AM0.71m | 11:24PM0.13m | 11:53AM0.83m | 00:08AM0.13m | 12:43PM0.94m | 1:02AM0.16m | 1:47PM1.02m | 2:05AM0.22m | 3:08PM1.04m | 3:19AM0.26m | ||||||||
7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | |
— | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | |
mm | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | 3 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | NE 5 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 15 |
1147 | 1049 | 591 | 719 | 711 | 861 | 1753 | 1597 | 2054 | 1715 | 1323 | 1126 | 743 | 472 | 6 | 3539 | 4878 | 1933 | 1094 | 1291 | 3097 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | S 8 | WSW 14 | SW 6 | SW 20 | SSW 6 | S 16 | S 16 | — | SW 18 | SW 18 | NNE 5 | S 19 | S 18 | SSW 6 | S 15 | W 24 | WSW 20 |
365 | 287 | 300 | 302 | 5 | 362 | 39 | 306 | 13 | 5 | 5 | — | 82 | 246 | 15 | 29 | 24 | 48 | 4 | 11 | 790 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 8 | E 9 | SW 6 | SE 16 | SSW 6 | S 18 | — | — | — | — | SW 24 | S 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 5 | 2 | 39 | 10 | 23 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 88 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | SW 8 | — | — | NW 3 | SW 8 | — | — | — | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 | SW 21 | SW 8 | — | — | N 3 | N 5 | SW 5 |
289 | 206 | — | — | 2 | 129 | — | — | — | 23 | 13 | 27 | 35 | 60 | 4568 | 614 | — | — | 11 | 12 | 42 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 122 | 189 | 0 | 288 | 18 | 4 | 42 | 39 | 5 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Otway | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
Latest Updates
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.











