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Cowries Surf Forecast
/ NSW – Illawarra (42 breaks) / New South Wales (297 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surfForecast / NSW – Illawarra / Australia
48hr Weather and Surf, issued 9 am Wednesday 20 May 2026 AESTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Cowries surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Cowries sea temperature is
20.6° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)How big are the waves at Cowries today?
The current surf forecast for Cowries at 3PM is: 2.3m 9s primary swell from a South direction and 1.9m 9s secondary swell from a South direction, 1.4m 10s secondary swell from a East-northeast direction (forecast issued at 09:00am May 20). The wind direction is predicted to be cross-offshore.
| Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height | Wave Period |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (20 May) | 8ft (2.5m) | 9s |
| Afternoon (20 May) | 7.5ft (2.3m) | 9s |
| Evening (20 May) | 7ft (2.1m) | 10s |
Table - waves today at Cowries. (Swell directed towards the surf break)
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Sat 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 AM | 10 AM | 1 PM | 4 PM | 7 PM | 10 PM | 1 AM | 4 AM | 7 AM | 10 AM | 1 PM | 4 PM | 7 PM | 10 PM | 1 AM | 4 AM | 7 AM | 10 AM | 1 PM | 4 PM | 7 PM | 10 PM | 1 AM | 4 AM | |
Swell Height Map |    |    |    |    | ||||||||||||||||||||
S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | |
1124 | 1015 | 958 | 803 | 797 | 550 | 876 | 830 | 1219 | 710 | 603 | 448 | 394 | 438 | 314 | 335 | 242 | 118 | 246 | 137 | 378 | 584 | 676 | 650 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | |
High Tide | 11:19AM1.07m | 11:10PM1.65m | 12:23PM1.04m | 00:10AM1.55m | 1:29PM1.05m | 1:12AM1.44m | ||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 5:13AM0.00m | 4:37PM0.38m | 6:12AM0.06m | 5:39PM0.44m | 7:13AM0.11m | 6:48PM0.49m | ||||||||||||||||||
 |  | | |  |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | 6:46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:48 |
 | — | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | — | 4:57 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 12 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | E 10 | S 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
 kJ | 694 | 679 | 614 | 544 | 508 | 550 | 602 | 302 | 885 | 260 | 250 | 250 | 208 | 344 | 314 | 251 | 242 | 118 | 246 | 137 | 378 | 584 | 676 | 650 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | — | E 10 | — | — | — | — | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 |
| kJ | 511 | 441 | 458 | 377 | 377 | 324 | 324 | — | 260 | — | — | — | — | 208 | 163 | 154 | 117 | 74 | 62 | 60 | 15 | 15 | 27 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | S 14 | E 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 12 | S 11 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 20 | 4 | 110 | 28 | 18 | 24 | 10 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | — | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | — | SSE 8 | — | — | — | ESE 7 | SSE 7 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1124 | 1015 | 958 | 803 | 797 | — | 876 | 830 | 1219 | 710 | 603 | 448 | 394 | 438 | — | 335 | — | — | — | 82 | 57 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 18 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Live Wind Speed (km/h)
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Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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