Surf Forecasts:
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, S swell with 2,533 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 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 1.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m 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 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here, looking you in the eye. The next couple of weeks have a slow start, but there are a couple of days that’ll get the heart rate up.
We kick off on Monday the 7th with not much to get excited about. You're waiting for a bit of juice to show up, and it finally does mid-week. The window you want to lock in is Friday morning the 11th. That’s the headliner without a doubt.
Cowries is going to be firing on Friday the 11th with a proper head-high to well-overhead swell, that’s 8ft from the south. The wave energy is cranking at (1766), so there’s some real power in the water. The period is about 9 seconds, and the light wind will have it clean and cross-off. The break is fairly consistent and handles a swell well, so expect some lined-up, hollow walls. This is one for the experienced surfers only—if you’re a beginner, it’s too big at 8ft. It can get a crowd sometimes, so get out there early.
The build-up on Tuesday morning the 8th is a good warm-up. You’ve got a solid 7ft south swell with a gentle offshore breeze making things clean, but the energy is more moderate (646) and the wave period is shorter. It’ll be surfable but doesn’t have the same grunt as Friday.
After that Friday blast, the surf fades real fast. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th drop way down and the onshore winds come back. There’s a dry spell from the 13th for the rest of that week into the next.
Looking way out to the 22nd, that’s a long-range whisper, but there’s a storm on the map. Sunday the 22nd is showing another 8ft south swell with a combined energy reading of (1232). The wind is onshore at the moment, so it’s a wait-and-see. But if it cleans up, that could be another proper session. For now, Friday the 11th is the one you plan around.
Water temp at Cowries is about 64°, which is normal for this time of year.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Mon morning, fresh winds from the S by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 238 | 378 | 1437 | 644 | 471 | 210 | 157 | 1190 | 2141 | 1225 | 1150 | 1042 | 1021 | 493 | 399 | 423 | 269 | 161 | 108 | 85 | 67 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:59PM1.53m | 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 | 10:24AM0.42m | 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 | |||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — |
 | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 22 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 16 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SE 7 | ESE 13 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SSE 22 | S 22 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 10 |
| kJ | 238 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 471 | 210 | 51 | 17 | 71 | 33 | 166 | 9 | 741 | 493 | 399 | 423 | 269 | 161 | 108 | 85 | 67 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | NE 7 | — | — | E 10 | SE 7 | E 10 | E 9 | S 23 | SSE 23 | ESE 9 | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | E 13 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 71 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 71 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 51 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 66 | 56 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 23 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | — | — | — | — | E 10 | E 15 | E 17 | — | E 16 | E 16 | E 10 | — | E 10 | E 9 | E 14 | E 14 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 | SE 16 | E 13 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 4 | 6 | — | 5 | 5 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 15 | 16 | 41 | 31 | 11 | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | — | NW 2 | S 8 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | — | — | — | ENE 3 | N 3 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NNE 6 |
| kJ | — | 378 | 1437 | 644 | — | 1 | 157 | 1190 | 2141 | 1225 | 1150 | 1042 | 1021 | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 58 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 112 | 10 | 9 | 63 | 0 | 19 | 443 | 19 | 95 | 146 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 219 | 2 | 10 | 84 | 3 |
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.
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