Cowries Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.58° S 150.88° E

Issued: 9 pm 03 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Cowries sea temperature is
19.1° C

1.5°C warmer than normal for this time of year

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


Cowries surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 10s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period, SSE swell with 2,006 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s 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 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Cowries in the next 16 days are 3.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 7PM. 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 Saturday (Jul 04) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Sat 4th Jul)3.5ft (1.0m) 11s
Best Surf 4AM (Tue 7th Jul)8ft (2.4m) 10s
Most Powerful 7PM (Thu 9th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 11s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright, this is Rusty.

First up, we’ve got a solid run of waves on the cards for Cowries, starting from this Saturday, July 4th. It’s not a classic kick-off, but there’s something brewing. Saturday morning is the best of that first weekend. You’re looking at 3ft south swell with the wind swinging offshore from the west-southwest. It’s light, it’s clean, and the combined energy is moderate (184). It’s surfable, but the energy is still building.

Now, things get serious pretty quick. By Sunday the 5th, it’s going to jump up. We’re talking a solid 8ft swell from the south and south-southeast, with the period stretching to 11 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy vaults into the strong range (1651). The wind is a bit of a cross-off from the south-southwest, which will straighten it up a little, but it’s a punchy 25 km/h breeze. That morning window looks the cleanest. This is the standout for that first full week. For experienced surfers only at that size.

Through Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th, the swell hangs in the 8ft to 8ft range, still from the SSE. The energy stays high (1959, 2073). The wind holds cross-off, so the shape should be reasonable. It’s solid, consistent, but the quality is marked as marginal, likely due to tide and that strong south swell direction not being an absolute perfect match for the break’s optimum. That said, there’s plenty of power.

We start to wind down after that. The swell holds into the 9th, even hitting a peak of 10ft on Thursday afternoon with massive energy (3415). But heading into the second week, from the 11th of July, it fades. Saturday the 11th morning offers a brief window of 5ft swell from the SE with glassy, offshore conditions from the north-west. The energy is weak (359). It’s clean but small.

Then there’s a real dead spell. From Sunday the 12th through to Monday the 13th, the swell drops to under 2ft. The energy is weak (39). Nothing doing.

The pulse returns on Tuesday, July 14th. The morning looks good: a 6ft south swell with a gentle offshore breeze from the WSW, giving you clean waves and moderate energy (584). The swell period is a short 9 seconds, so it won’t be the deepest, but it’s rideable. The afternoon builds to 8ft, but the wind goes cross-shore, introducing ripple. The 15th holds on with a 5ft south swell and clean conditions, but the energy is dropping (459). After that, it’s a slow fade into the end of the 16-day run, with small, unappealing swell and weak energy. A small 3ft south swell on the 17th might be worth a check if you’re desperate.

Crowds at Cowries can be a problem, so expect company on those better days. The water temp? I can’t give you the exact number from here, but there’s no drastic anomaly flagged for that first break I mentioned, so it’s likely about average for this time of year.

So, the best on offer is hands down the morning of Sunday, July 5th, and the morning of Tuesday, July 14th. The Sunday is the heavy hitter. The Tuesday is the sneaky clean one.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
4
Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Fri
10
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
0
2
3
2
1
1
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
4
3
3
2
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
S
7
1
S
9
0.9
S
8
1.6
S
11
2.5
S
11
2.5
SSE
11
2.5
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
9
2.4
SSE
10
2.4
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
10
2.3
SE
10
2.2
SE
10
2.1
SE
10
2.3
SSE
10
3
SSE
9
2.4
S
9
3
SSE
11
2.4
SSE
10
2.2
SSE
10
2.1
SSE
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
24
166
108
632
1641
1847
1263
937
1117
1100
1053
1049
1040
832
978
1405
896
1976
1175
961
831
Wind (km/h)
20
W
10
WSW
10
SE
15
S
25
SSW
25
S
25
SSE
20
SSE
20
S
15
SW
15
SW
20
SSW
15
SW
20
SSW
25
S
20
SW
20
SSW
20
SSW
20
SW
20
SW
15
S
Wind State
off
off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
10:21PM1.47m
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
5:10AM0.19m
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
clear
clear
clear
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:03
7:03
7:03
7:03
7:03
7:03
7:01
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
4:57
4:58
4:58
4:59
4:59
5:00
5:00
 mm
2
2
1
Temp °C
13
16
15
13
12
13
13
14
14
13
14
14
12
15
14
12
12
14
11
15
14
Feels °C
6
13
13
10
6
7
7
10
9
9
10
10
8
10
8
7
6
9
7
10
10
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
S
7
1
S
9
0.9
S
8
0.9
SSE
8
0.2
ENE
8
0.1
E
13
0.1
E
13
0.1
E
13
2.1
SSE
10
2.1
SSE
10
2.1
SE
10
2.3
SE
10
2.2
SE
10
2.1
SE
10
1.9
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
9
1.8
SSE
9
2.5
SSE
11
2.4
SSE
10
2.2
SSE
10
2.1
SSE
10
Energy kJ
24
166
108
107
6
3
3
3
833
804
815
1049
1040
832
643
1117
516
1439
1175
961
831
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
NE
8
0.4
NE
8
0.3
NE
7
0.7
S
11
0.1
E
14
0.1
E
13
0.1
E
13
0.1
E
16
0.1
E
14
1.1
S
10
0.4
SE
14
0.8
S
11
0.6
S
10
0.8
ESE
13
0.9
ESE
12
0.1
S
18
1.3
SE
10
0.4
SE
14
Energy kJ
16
15
9
123
4
3
3
5
4
249
49
141
67
192
226
6
369
46
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
S
12
0.1
E
13
0.1
E
12
0.2
ENE
7
0.1
E
16
0.7
ESE
13
0.1
S
16
0.1
S
15
0.5
SE
14
0.4
SE
13
Energy kJ
3
3
3
5
5
156
5
4
99
63
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
W
4
0.3
WSW
3
1.6
S
11
2.5
S
11
2.5
SSE
11
2.5
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
9
2.4
SSE
10
2.4
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
10
3
SSE
9
2.4
S
9
3
SSE
11
Energy kJ
9
2
632
1641
1847
1263
937
1117
1100
1053
978
1405
896
1976
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
4
4
5
4
4
3
Distance (km)
9
0
24
9
10
112
146
19
19
10
10
18
4
10
19
0
10
10
10
10
9
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
1
3
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
4
4
5
4
4
3
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
5
4
5
4
5
4
4
8
7
5
5
9
5
5
4
5
4
4
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
5
4
5
9
7
5
6
8
7
5
5
9
9
9
5
6
6
7
7
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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