Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, S swell with 1,080 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 9s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cowries this week:
The surf forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cowries in the next 16 days are 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for Cowries. This whole window is a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of sneaky windows where it’ll be worth wetting the suit.
The next week and a half is mostly flat and messy. Wave energy is weak to moderate, with combined energy readings mostly in the double digits and low hundreds, struggling to push past the 100-280 mark until things wake up. The wind is all over the shop—cross-shore, cross-on, you name it. The swell is small and mostly short-period, coming in from the ESE or S with periods between 6 and 11 seconds. It’s not doing much.
You’ll want to keep an eye on Tuesday the 25th. That’s the standout. The morning kicks off with a clean 6ft S swell, period around 8 seconds, and it’s glassy. Combined energy is moderate at 365. The afternoon gets better—offshore wind from the W at 15 mph, still 6ft of S swell, and clean conditions. Combined energy bumps to 473. This is the pick of the period for sure. The reef and point setup should handle it nicely, though it’s a beginner spot, and this is right at the edge of that. Still, it’s the best on offer.
Before that, Sunday the 23rd throws a bit of a curveball. The morning has a solid 8ft S swell, but the period is short at 9 seconds. Combined energy is a strong 1616. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it’s a bit lumpy. Too big for the beginners and pretty ordinary for everyone else. The afternoon drops to 5ft and gets choppy with a cross-on.
Wednesday the 26th has some size—5ft of S swell with a longer 11-second period—but the offshore wind is fresh at 19 mph. Combined energy is moderate at 600 in the morning. It’ll be clean but a bit on the windy side, so it’s more of a session for those who like a bit of extra push. Not a standout, but worth a look if you’re keen.
The rest of the week before that is mostly small, sub-3ft, and pretty uninspiring. There’s a couple of fun windows—Tuesday the 18th morning is glassy with a 2ft S swell, and Friday the 21st morning is also glassy with a 3ft ENE swell. Nothing to write home about, but you could get a few if you’re frothing.
The final week starts to taper off. Swell drops back to the 2ft to 4ft range, with ENE and SSE swells. The wind is mostly cross-off or offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the energy is weak, and it’s just not worth planning around.
As for the water temp, there’s no anomaly data in the file for Cowries, so it’s about average for this time of year.
Crowds at Cowries are “sometimes” an issue, so on those cleaner days, you might find a few others out, but nothing crazy.
Summing it up: if you’ve got one session to chase, make it Tuesday the 25th. The rest of the period is pretty marginal, but the surf will come around. Forecasts change, so stay hungry.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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 6 | ESE 6 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | S 11 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | NE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
98 | 126 | 151 | 122 | 81 | 60 | 75 | 55 | 60 | 75 | 82 | 72 | 111 | 53 | 40 | 46 | 82 | 51 | 40 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | off |
High Tide | 10:05PM1.50m | 10:43AM1.33m | 10:48PM1.35m | 11:25AM1.33m | 11:33PM1.19m | 12:09PM1.31m | 00:20AM1.05m | 12:57PM1.28m | 1:17AM0.93m | 1:52PM1.25m | 2:28AM0.86m | 2:55PM1.25m | 3:49AM0.84m | ||||||
Low Tide | 4:30AM0.11m | 4:43PM0.29m | 5:05AM0.20m | 5:35PM0.35m | 5:40AM0.30m | 6:32PM0.42m | 6:17AM0.40m | 7:36PM0.47m | 7:00AM0.48m | 8:51PM0.49m | 7:55AM0.53m | 10:06PM0.48m | |||||||
— | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 18 | S 6 | S 11 | ESE 7 | S 9 | ESE 6 | S 8 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | NE 6 |
60 | 38 | 151 | 56 | 81 | 60 | 35 | 50 | 55 | 68 | 75 | 59 | 111 | 53 | 40 | 46 | 82 | 51 | 40 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | S 8 | ENE 10 | S 10 | E 10 | S 9 | E 10 | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 7 | ESE 8 | E 11 | E 10 | S 11 | SE 11 | S 10 |
9 | 33 | 10 | 122 | 8 | 55 | 7 | 55 | 54 | 75 | 82 | 72 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | SSE 12 | SSE 18 | E 10 | ENE 10 | S 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 13 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | E 9 | E 11 | S 13 | S 12 | — | — | — |
1 | 29 | 31 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 10 | 10 | 60 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | — | ESE 6 | — | ESE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | — | — | — | NNW 3 |
98 | 126 | 88 | — | 66 | — | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | 4 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 73 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cowries Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cowries provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cowries can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cowries 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 (Cowries) 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 Cowries 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.
Cowries is 10 km (6 miles) from the city of Port Kembla. If you plan a holiday in Illawarra, look for hotels and other accommodation in Port Kembla. Port Kembla has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











