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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 3 pm Thursday 21 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
20.8° C
(Which is 1.1°C warmer than normal for this time of year)How big are the waves at Cowries today?
The current surf forecast for Cowries at 9PM is: 2.0m 8s primary swell from a South-southeast direction and 1.0m 10s secondary swell from a East direction (forecast issued at 03:00pm May 21). The wind direction is predicted to be cross-offshore.
| Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height | Wave Period |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (21 May) | - | - |
| Afternoon (21 May) | 7ft (2.1m) | 8s |
| Evening (21 May) | 6.5ft (2.0m) | 8s |
Table - waves today at Cowries. (Swell directed towards the surf break)
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sun 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 | 7 AM | 10 AM | |
Swell Height Map |    |    |    |    | ||||||||||||||||||||
S 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | E 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | |
678 | 535 | 438 | 397 | 389 | 344 | 320 | 320 | 306 | 454 | 899 | 945 | 980 | 943 | 980 | 1082 | 1175 | 1521 | 1870 | 1825 | 1825 | 1817 | 1680 | 1709 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | |
High Tide | 12:23PM1.04m | 00:10AM1.55m | 1:29PM1.05m | 1:12AM1.44m | 2:34PM1.09m | 2:16AM1.33m | ||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 5:39PM0.44m | 7:13AM0.11m | 6:48PM0.49m | 8:11AM0.17m | 8:04PM0.52m | 9:04AM0.21m | ||||||||||||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | — | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 4:59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4:57 | — | — | — | — | — | 4:57 |
— | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | S 12 | SSW 7 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 |
 kJ | 212 | 208 | 208 | 204 | 158 | 154 | 115 | 113 | 306 | 454 | 24 | 10 | 980 | 943 | 980 | 1082 | 1175 | 1521 | 1870 | 1825 | 1825 | 1817 | 1680 | 1709 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | — | — | SSW 8 | S 9 | S 14 | S 21 | S 20 | S 19 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 17 | 50 | 24 | — | — | 24 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 22 | S 14 | — | — | — | — | S 19 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | — | — | — | S 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 678 | 535 | 438 | 397 | 389 | 344 | 320 | 320 | 199 | 186 | 899 | 945 | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 19 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 22 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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