Cowrie Hole break guide

Cowrie Hole Surf Guide

Cowrie Hole in Newcastle is an exposed reef break that has quite reliable surf. Autumn and winter are the optimum times of year for waves. Offshore winds are from the west northwest. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the best swell direction is from the southeast. A right hand reef break. Best around mid tide. When it's working here, it can get crowded. Take care of rocks and locals.

Cowrie Hole Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef2fairly consistent
22.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Cowrie Hole:

The best conditions reported for surf at Cowrie Hole occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West-northwest.

What's the best time of year to surf Cowrie Hole (for consistent clean waves)?

julyBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Cowrie Hole with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 45% of the time in July while 34% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 21% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
45%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
34%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
21%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Cowrie Hole Location Map

Interactive Cowrie Hole surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Cowrie Hole is Newcastle Airport (NTL) in Australia, 16 km (10 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Cowrie Hole is Richmond Airport (RCM), also in Australia, 120 km (75 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Cowrie Hole Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 16:33 Local Time
Wednesday 06
1PM4PM7PM10PM
Wave (m)
1.3
E
1.3
E
1.3
E
1.3
E
Period (s) 10 10 10 10
Wind (km/h)
10
10
15
20
Wind State cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross

Swell History at Cowrie Hole

Surf stats for Cowrie Hole, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Cowrie Hole

Wind stats for Cowrie Hole, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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