Surf Forecasts:
Caves Beach surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, S swell with 2,806 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Caves Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Caves Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 19s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Caves Beach in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) 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 0.3m 2s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Caves Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a good hard look at what Caves Beach is doing for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and you’re going to need to pick your moments.
We start off on Friday, September 11, with a solid 6ft SSE swell but it’s a bit of a write-off. The wind is blowing cross, the energy is moderate (576), and the call is marginal. Not the best way to kick things off. Saturday the 12th looks completely different. The swell drops right off to 2ft, but that early morning glassy session is where it’s at – clean as a whistle. The period is a massive 19 seconds, which brings proper groundswell energy, even if the height is small. The energy reading is still decent at 469. That’s your early morning window if you’re desperate for a slide.
After that, it gets bleak for a solid stretch. From Saturday afternoon right through to the start of the following week, conditions turn poor. Winds chop things up, and the swell fades, bottoming out around 0.7ft to 1ft. There’s a notable drop in energy, down to little over 100 and eventually into the low double digits. That’s about a week of nothing to get excited about, bar the odd tiny clean window. On Wednesday the 16th, the swell absolutely fires up—12ft to 13ft from the south—but the wind is a strong cross-shore and the energy hits 2806. That is massive wave power, but it looks rough, with poor surf conditions called.
We then see a few stormy days where the swell stays big and messy, over 8ft, but the winds are still strong. This is expert-only territory, and frankly, the conditions don't look fun. The best standout of the entire run is, without a doubt, the morning of Friday, September 18. The swell is only 2ft, but the wind is glass, the period is a very long 19 seconds, and the energy reading is 512. The guidance says "expect very good surf conditions." That's your chance for a clean, classic session at Caves Beach. The other real standout is Wednesday, September 23. The swell is predicted to be 10ft from the south with light cross-shore wind and an energy reading of 1873, but the warning is that the swell is too big for the break. If you’re a confident charger and the winds hold light, it could be a spectacle, but I’d be careful.
So, to sum it up: chase the glassy windows on the 18th. Everything else? Pick your battles.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the NE by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Mon night, strong winds from the SSW by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 19 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 12 | S 11 | NE 6 | SSE 10 | SSE 4 | S 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 563 | 418 | 307 | 207 | 268 | 160 | 110 | 143 | 102 | 132 | 85 | 82 | 31 | 14 | 511 | 1822 | 2806 | 2224 | 1182 | 951 | 457 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:28PM1.46m | 8:53AM1.34m | 9:09PM1.39m | 9:32AM1.37m | 9:49PM1.29m | 10:11AM1.36m | 10:29PM1.16m | 10:50AM1.32m | 11:09PM1.03m | 11:31AM1.26m | 11:51PM0.91m | 12:14PM1.19m | 00:40AM0.81m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:13PM0.13m | 2:46AM0.07m | 2:59PM0.12m | 3:22AM0.10m | 3:45PM0.14m | 3:57AM0.16m | 4:31PM0.19m | 4:31AM0.22m | 5:19PM0.26m | 5:05AM0.30m | 6:09PM0.33m | 5:41AM0.38m | 7:06PM0.39m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | |  | | | |  |  | |  |  | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — |
 | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 11 | ENE 6 | S 12 | S 11 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | E 14 | — | E 13 | S 18 | S 18 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 563 | 418 | 307 | 181 | 268 | 160 | 110 | 143 | 51 | 132 | 85 | 44 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 4 | — | 3 | 6 | 25 | 457 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 15 | E 14 | SSE 19 | S 13 | SSE 18 | SSE 20 | ENE 5 | SSE 17 | S 10 | ENE 6 | E 12 | S 10 | SSE 10 | E 14 | E 14 | E 15 | — | — | E 13 | E 13 | S 19 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | 34 | 81 | 182 | 131 | 7 | 29 | 102 | 10 | 3 | 50 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 21 | E 9 | E 13 | SSE 19 | E 14 | E 13 | SSE 18 | ENE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 16 | E 12 | E 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 13 |
| kJ | 9 | 2 | 4 | 207 | 15 | 3 | 61 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | NE 6 | — | ENE 5 | NE 6 | — | SSE 4 | S 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 16 | 43 | 83 | — | 40 | 82 | — | 14 | 511 | 1822 | 2806 | 2224 | 1182 | 951 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 370 | 8 | 8 | 532 | 0 | 8 | 56 | 0 | 46 | 188 | 236 | 760 | 807 | 269 | 150 | 150 | 15 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Caves Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Caves Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Caves Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Caves 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 (Caves 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 Caves 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.
Caves Beach is 7 km (4 miles) from the city of Catherine Hill Bay. If you plan a holiday in Newcastle, look for hotels and other accommodation in Catherine Hill Bay. Catherine Hill Bay has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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