Cowries Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.58° S 150.88° E

Cowries Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 pm 07 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Cowries sea temperature is
17.8°C
0.4° 

Cowries surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Cowries surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 2,667 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 Tuesday (Sep 08) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s. 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Tue 8th Sep)4.5ft (1.3m) 9s
Best Surf 7PM (Wed 9th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 9s
Most Powerful10PM (Wed 9th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s lining up for the region. We’ve got a couple of heavy-hitters in the mix, but you’ll need to pick your moments. The first solid recommendation doesn’t start kicking off until Thursday the 10th, but when it arrives, it’s a beast.

There’s a 3-day gap at the start with only small, marginal dribble for Monday the 8th and Tuesday the 9th—not worth paddling out for. Then we get a standout, but it’s strictly for experts.

The real highlight rolls in on Thursday, 10th September, in the morning at Cowries. It’s a reef and point break, fairly exposed to swell. Swell height hits 12 ft coming out of the south with a 10-second period. The energy is pumping hard at 3750 (moderate wave energy). Winds are a clean cross-off from the SSW at 19 mph. This is a big, powerful, clean swell—but at 12 ft, this is expert territory only. The water temp is about average for this time of year. This is the best on offer in the whole window. If you’re not an expert, sit this one out and watch.

By Thursday afternoon the swell drops a bit to 8 ft from the SSE, still with 10-second period and energy at 1584 (moderate). Winds stay cross-off from the south at 16 mph. It’s cleaner and a little more manageable, but still a solid, punchy wave.

Friday the 11th stays rideable but nothing special. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th fade off fast, with small, weak surf under 5 ft and onshore winds—poor conditions.

After another quiet spell early in the second week, we get a late-run surprise on Thursday, 17th September, in the morning. Swell rebuilds to 6 ft from the south, 10-second period, with energy at 772 (moderate). Winds are light from the south at 6 mph, clean and glassy. It’s a long way out, so temper expectations, but this could be a fun, user-friendly session for intermediate surfers on a clean point.

Friday the 18th morning holds small, clean 4 ft swell but nothing to get too excited about.

The last few days of the window have a mix of windy, choppy conditions or tiny swell. The 19th and 20th have some larger pulses but the wind is messy. Saturday 19th afternoon has clean cross-off winds and 6 ft from the SSE, but the conditions are marginal.

Bottom line: Thursday the 10th morning is the standout if you’ve got the skills. The 17th is a promising second option, but further out and less certain. Beyond that, it’s patchy and small.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ESE on Tue afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Wed afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
1
1
0
1
2
!
3
2
2
1
2
1
0
2
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
S
9
2.2
SSE
8
1.8
SSE
8
1.1
S
8
1.1
S
8
3
S
8
3
S
10
3.5
S
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.1
SSE
9
1.8
SSE
9
1.5
SSE
10
1.4
SSE
11
1.1
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
9
0.8
SSE
9
0.8
SSE
10
0.8
SSE
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1375
629
450
173
157
1142
1840
2137
1396
1245
739
528
399
431
260
153
115
125
133
Wind (km/h)
25
SSW
15
SSW
10
ESE
15
NW
25
SSW
35
S
25
SW
30
SSW
25
S
15
SW
10
SSE
10
ESE
10
W
10
NNE
25
NE
10
WNW
5
NNE
15
NNE
10
NW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
5:58AM1.09m
5:56PM1.59m
6:46AM1.18m
6:46PM1.62m
7:29AM1.27m
7:33PM1.61m
8:09AM1.34m
8:16PM1.55m
8:47AM1.40m
8:58PM1.46m
9:24AM1.43m
9:39PM1.34m
Low Tide
11:54PM0.14m
11:28AM0.35m
00:42AM0.07m
12:24PM0.28m
1:24AM0.04m
1:15PM0.22m
2:02AM0.04m
2:03PM0.18m
2:38AM0.07m
2:49PM0.17m
3:11AM0.13m
3:34PM0.19m
3:43AM0.21m
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:07
6:05
6:03
6:03
6:01
6:00
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:42
5:43
5:43
5:44
5:45
5:45
 mm
1
Temp °C
14
16
15
11
14
14
12
15
15
13
16
16
12
21
20
16
23
22
18
Feels °C
7
13
13
8
9
5
4
8
9
9
14
15
11
15
15
13
18
18
16
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Cowries:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cowries surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest