
Surf Forecasts:
Caves Beach surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 31 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 31 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, S swell with 865 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 12s period with S 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 Thursday (Jul 30) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Caves Beach in the next 16 days are 2.1m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) 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 0.8m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 31st Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Fri 31st Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Caves Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Caves Beach.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. Tuesday and Wednesday are flat and ordinary, hardly worth paddling out for. The real action starts to build from Thursday the 30th of July and runs through the weekend, with the standout window being Friday morning the 31st and Sunday morning the 2nd of August.
The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Let’s talk about the best of the bunch. Friday morning the 31st of July is your top pick. Swell comes in at 6ft from the south, with a period of 11 seconds giving it some real push. The combined swell energy hits 651 (moderate to strong), and with a light cross-offshore breeze from the southwest, it’s going to be clean. The waves will have shape, there’s decent energy, and the wind is working with you. The break is exposed to the swell, and the optimum direction is ESE, so the south swell wraps in nicely. The crowds are only “sometimes” an issue, but on a morning like this, expect a few others in the water.
Sunday morning the 2nd of August is another real cracker. Swell is 5ft from the south-southeast, period up to 12 seconds, and the combined energy is 607 (moderate to strong). The wind is light from the north-northwest, cross-offshore, meaning glassy conditions. It’s a consistent setup, with clean lines and good energy. The southern swell direction works well for the exposed beach, and the crowd factor is again manageable.
For the rest of the week, there’s a few smaller windows. Saturday morning the 1st of August offers 4ft south swell with a 9-second period and light cross-offshore wind, giving clean but slightly less powerful waves. The energy is moderate (372). A solid session, but not quite the standout.
From the 4th of August onward, things go a bit quiet and messy. The swell gets smaller, the wind turns cross-on or onshore, and there’s rain and thunderstorms in the mix. The 6th of August has a bump in size (8ft from the south-southeast), but the wind is onshore and the conditions are marginal. That’s more of a messy, tricky day, and at that size, it’s moving into expert territory.
The 8th of August (Saturday morning) is worth a look – 5ft from the southeast, 9-second period, and glassy conditions with a WNW light breeze. The combined energy is moderate (551). This is a solid, clean, surfer-friendly morning, but the swell is a little smaller than the earlier standouts.
The 9th and 10th of August are more of the same: small, clean, but not firing. The 11th and 12th drop off into poor, windy conditions, so the run really ends after the first week.
Overall, the first week has the best of it, with Friday the 31st of July and Sunday the 2nd of August being the real highlights. The second week is patchy, with only the 8th of August morning offering a clean, glassy session. Get out there early, time the tides, and enjoy the cleaner windows.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 8°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Wed afternoon, light winds from the SSW by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 20°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 8 | S 7 | S 9 | S 18 | S 16 | S 6 | S 10 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
42 | 16 | 13 | 24 | 5 | 25 | 484 | 327 | 606 | 646 | 865 | 479 | 300 | 322 | 367 | 595 | 372 | 234 | 259 | 194 | 110 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:33PM1.39m | 8:15AM0.96m | 8:08PM1.43m | 8:50AM1.02m | 8:44PM1.45m | 9:24AM1.08m | 9:20PM1.45m | 10:00AM1.13m | 9:57PM1.42m | 10:36AM1.16m | 10:36PM1.35m | 11:15AM1.19m | 11:18PM1.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:55PM0.34m | 2:19AM0.13m | 1:37PM0.30m | 2:51AM0.09m | 2:18PM0.28m | 3:23AM0.07m | 2:59PM0.26m | 3:56AM0.07m | 3:41PM0.26m | 4:30AM0.09m | 4:25PM0.27m | 5:06AM0.13m | 5:13PM0.30m | ||||||||
6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | |
— | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 7 | S 9 | S 8 | S 7 | S 6 | S 10 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
42 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 484 | 327 | 606 | 646 | 586 | 479 | 300 | 322 | 367 | 595 | 372 | 234 | 259 | 194 | 110 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | NE 7 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 8 | SSE 13 | SE 14 | SE 14 | E 17 | SE 15 | SE 13 | E 16 | E 15 | E 15 |
19 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 70 | 103 | 203 | 6 | 34 | 138 | 5 | 4 | 4 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 14 | SE 15 | SE 14 | S 18 | S 16 | S 16 | E 12 | E 12 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 7 | NE 7 | E 12 | E 17 | E 17 | ENE 4 | E 7 | S 20 | E 12 |
8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 2 | NW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | W 3 | W 3 | — | — | — | — | S 10 | — | — | — | NE 6 | N 3 | NE 4 | NE 4 | — | NE 2 | — |
1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 865 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 9 | 11 | — | 1 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 10 | 66 | 506 | 265 | 143 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 15 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
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.










