
Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with 2,269 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with E 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. 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 Friday (Jul 24) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a proper look at what's on the cards for Cowries over the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but there are some definite highlights if you pick your moments.
The water's sitting at 65°F on Saturday morning, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so that's a nice bonus for the early sessions.
The surf story starts off pretty flat and ordinary this Saturday. We're looking at tiny 2ft waves from the south with a short period and weak energy (119), so not much to get excited about. Things take a turn for the better though.
Sunday morning is where it starts to get interesting. We've got a clean 6ft swell rolling in from the east-northeast. The period bumps up to 11 seconds, which is a proper groundswell, and the energy jumps right up to 854. The wind is a light cross-off breeze out of the south, which will keep the waves clean. This is a solid, fun size for most surfers, and with that longer period, the waves will have some real push and shape to them.
Monday is still on the cards with 5ft from the east-northeast, but the wind swings around and looks a bit more average, so the shine wears off a little. Tuesday morning, however, is a beauty. The swell drops a touch to 4ft, but the wind goes glassy out of the north with a slight air. It's going to be dead calm and clean. The energy (324) is moderate, but the quality of the conditions will make for some super fun, user-friendly waves.
After that, we get a bit of a lull in quality through the middle of the week, with smaller 3-3ft waves and onshore winds creeping in. The look-ahead window sees a pulse of bigger southerly groundswell arrive late on Thursday the 23rd, hitting 8ft by the afternoon with a massive energy reading of 1206. That's a powerful swell, but it's got a short period of only 7 seconds, which can make it a bit wonky and less shapey. It'll be one for the experienced crew only at that size.
The standout session for the second week really looks like Sunday the 2nd of August. We're forecast to see a clean 8ft swell from the east with a 10-second period and huge energy (1114). The magic is the glassy 3 mph offshore wind out of the southwest. That's going to groom the waves into something special. It's a touch big for beginners, but for anyone with a bit of experience, that's a cracker of a session on the cards.
Overall, there is plenty of surf to be had. The early highlight is hands down Cowries on Sunday the 19th of July, with that head-high, clean east-northeast groundswell. But if you can hold out, the real gem looks to be Cowries on the morning of Sunday the 2nd of August, with that solid 8ft E swell and glassy offshore conditions. It's a long way out, so we'll have to keep an eye on it, but it's promising.
Stay stoked.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 9°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Tue morning, fresh winds from the S by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 10 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 7 | S 9 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
46 | 44 | 117 | 705 | 619 | 540 | 487 | 487 | 396 | 331 | 281 | 214 | 172 | 130 | 71 | 225 | 874 | 545 | 1594 | 1065 | 363 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 11:25AM1.22m | 11:20PM1.47m | 12:13PM1.24m | 00:08AM1.30m | 1:02PM1.25m | 00:59AM1.14m | 1:53PM1.26m | 1:56AM1.01m | 2:47PM1.27m | 3:03AM0.92m | 3:41PM1.29m | 4:14AM0.88m | 4:34PM1.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:06PM0.34m | 5:55AM0.13m | 6:04PM0.40m | 6:35AM0.23m | 7:07PM0.46m | 7:16AM0.32m | 8:16PM0.49m | 7:58AM0.40m | 9:29PM0.49m | 8:46AM0.46m | 10:38PM0.46m | 9:40AM0.49m | 11:37PM0.41m | ||||||||
7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
— | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 |
31 | 44 | 117 | 705 | 619 | 540 | 487 | 487 | 396 | 331 | 281 | 214 | 172 | 130 | 71 | 42 | 29 | 15 | 1079 | 843 | 363 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 17 | S 16 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 11 | S 10 | — | E 8 | SSE 17 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
46 | 27 | 22 | 149 | 126 | 110 | 139 | 93 | 57 | 35 | 31 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 8 | — | 1 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 21 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 | SE 17 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SSE 15 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SSE 14 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | S 12 | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — |
42 | 38 | 64 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 3 | S 3 | — | S 3 | — | — | — | NNE 3 | N 4 | N 4 | NE 4 | — | — | — | W 3 | S 7 | S 9 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | — |
6 | 2 | — | 6 | — | — | — | 6 | 14 | 18 | 16 | — | — | — | 8 | 225 | 874 | 545 | 1594 | 1065 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 95 | 299 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










