
Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 5 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, SSE swell with 1,979 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s 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 Saturday (Jul 04) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cowries in the next 16 days are 2.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 05) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sat 4th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Tue 7th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sun 5th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Hey crew, Rusty here. Let’s get into the outlook for Cowries. This is a reef and point break, pretty open to swell, and the water’s sitting at about 66°, which is a touch warmer than usual for the season – you’ll feel it.
The start of this stretch is a tough one. Saturday morning, you’re looking at a tiny 3ft S swell with a 12-second period, light offshore wind, but the energy is weak (235) and it’s just not doing much. That afternoon, the swell drops to 3ft from the S with a short 8-second period and a cross-on breeze making it choppy. No good.
Sunday and Monday pump up to 8ft from the SSE with solid energy (up to 1986), but the wind stays cross-off and the conditions are only described as marginal. It’s clean, but the quality isn’t there. Tuesday through Thursday keep that 7ft to 8ft S/SSE swell rolling, but it’s all cross-off wind and nothing special.
The first real moment to pay attention to is Saturday the 11th of July. The morning brings a 5ft SSE swell (378 energy) and glassy conditions – dead calm. Rain showers might be around, but the surface will be like a lake. That’s a nice window for a clean session. This break is beginner-friendly and fairly consistent, though crowds can show up sometimes.
After that, it fades. Sunday the 12th drops to 3ft and then Monday the 13th sees a tiny 1ft ESE swell with almost no energy (53). A couple of days where you’re better off doing something else.
Now, the standout is further out. Tuesday the 14th of July has a 10ft S swell building, and by the afternoon you’ve got clean offshore wind and excellent conditions for experienced surfers. This is big – over 8ft is expert territory – and the energy is strong (1897). The swell direction from the south lines up okay with the optimum ENE for this spot. If you’re an experienced surfer, that afternoon is the one.
Wednesday the 15th holds 10ft in the morning but with cross-off wind, so less appealing. The week then tapers off into short period, wind-affected S/SE swell with poor conditions from Thursday the 16th onward.
Looking way ahead, Saturday the 18th of July pumps an 12ft SSE swell with a massive 5476 energy reading. That’s a serious amount of water moving, and the forecast says it’s likely too big for this break – wind and tide might be okay, but it’s a pass for most.
Sunday the 19th of July drops to a still-huge 10ft SSE swell with light cross-off wind and excellent conditions for experienced surfers. Another big-wave window if you’re keen.
Best pick for a clean, fun session for regular surfers is Saturday the 11th of July in the glassy morning. For the experts, Tuesday the 14th of July afternoon and Sunday the 19th of July morning have serious size and good conditions.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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 12 | S 8 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
217 | 86 | 630 | 1525 | 1979 | 1314 | 978 | 981 | 951 | 1220 | 1164 | 1606 | 1209 | 904 | 1218 | 1210 | 1055 | 1215 | 1071 | 908 | 546 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:16AM1.06m | 10:59PM1.41m | 11:59AM1.11m | 11:40PM1.34m | 12:45PM1.16m | 00:27AM1.26m | 1:35PM1.22m | 1:24AM1.17m | 2:29PM1.30m | 2:31AM1.09m | 3:26PM1.39m | 3:46AM1.05m | 4:24PM1.49m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:40PM0.46m | 5:45AM0.20m | 5:30PM0.49m | 6:22AM0.21m | 6:27PM0.50m | 7:03AM0.23m | 7:33PM0.49m | 7:49AM0.26m | 8:46PM0.45m | 8:41AM0.29m | 10:01PM0.37m | 9:39AM0.31m | 11:11PM0.26m | ||||||||
7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
— | 4:57 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 6 |
Temp °C | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 8 | S 8 | ENE 8 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | S 20 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 |
217 | 86 | 140 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 951 | 990 | 1164 | 1195 | 899 | 220 | 978 | 885 | 890 | 1215 | 1071 | 908 | 546 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | SSE 12 | S 11 | NE 7 | E 13 | E 13 | E 16 | E 14 | S 10 | SE 13 | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SSE 15 | S 16 | SE 13 | S 20 | S 21 | S 16 |
15 | 44 | 93 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 212 | 178 | 110 | 49 | 249 | 213 | 109 | 22 | 5 | 215 | 8 | 9 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 13 | — | — | — | E 16 | — | ESE 13 | — | — | S 16 | — | S 19 | S 18 | S 16 | — | — | — | — |
3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | 5 | — | 222 | — | — | 5 | — | 7 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 3 | — | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | — | SSE 10 | — | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 9 | — | — | — | — |
2 | — | 630 | 1525 | 1979 | 1314 | 978 | 981 | — | 1220 | — | 1606 | 1209 | 904 | 1218 | 1210 | 1055 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 64 | 57 | 10 | 112 | 90 | 19 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 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.










