
Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 8s period, NE swell with 734 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s 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 Sunday (Aug 09) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 6s. 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 2.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it.
The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag for Cowries. We’re looking at a slow, bumpy start, but there’s a definite window of cleaner, more powerful surf kicking off mid-next week. After that, it fades back out.
The first real window starts on the morning of Thursday, the 13th. The wind goes offshore and clean, and we finally see some proper size roll in. The swell is coming from the SSW at 8ft, but the period is a bit short at 9 seconds. It’s still a big step up from the dribble we’ve been seeing. The energy is strong, with a combined energy of 1184. This is the standout of the period. The sets will have some push to them, and it’s a reef and point set-up, so that SSW direction should line up nicely.
Then, Thursday afternoon is looking absolutely glassy. The wind drops to nothing, and we’ve still got a solid 7ft of S swell at 11 seconds. The energy is still strong at 910. This is the pick of the bunch for me. Clean, glassy, and with that long-period groundswell wrapping in. It’ll have some real power and shape. The water temp is 65°, which is about 1° warmer than average for this time of year, so it’s not exactly tropical, but it’s not freezing either.
Friday the 14th morning is still worth a look with a clean 4ft of S swell, but it’s a touch smaller and the energy is down to 289. The glassy conditions are back, so it’ll be fun, but the punch from Thursday will be gone.
After that, the run of quality surf kind of fades. There’s a bit of a bump on Saturday the 15th with a clean 3ft, but the energy is moderate at 374. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. The rest of that weekend and into the following week is mostly poor, with cross-shore winds and smaller, weaker swell.
The forecast for the week after that, from the 17th onward, is pretty quiet. There’s a constant, small S swell in the 1ft to 5ft range, but the periods are short and the winds are mostly onshore or cross. It’s not worth getting worked up about. There is a chance of a clean couple of sessions on the 20th and 21st mornings, but the swell is tiny, under 2ft. It’s just not going to be breaking with any real consistency.
So, to sum it up: don’t bother paddling out until Thursday the 13th. That Thursday, especially the afternoon, is your best bet. It’s got size, it’s clean, and it’s got that long-period energy. After that, it’s back to the flat spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the NW by Mon afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Wed night, light winds from the ESE by Thu morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | NE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 11 | ENE 9 | S 10 | S 9 | ENE 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
44 | 34 | 48 | 61 | 207 | 296 | 497 | 480 | 157 | 80 | 112 | 65 | 72 | 58 | 52 | 299 | 255 | 103 | 207 | 220 | 343 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:05PM1.48m | 4:59AM0.98m | 5:09PM1.57m | 6:06AM1.03m | 6:08PM1.66m | 7:02AM1.10m | 7:01PM1.72m | 7:51AM1.17m | 7:51PM1.74m | 8:37AM1.23m | 8:37PM1.71m | 9:20AM1.28m | 9:22PM1.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:05PM0.25m | 10:26AM0.38m | 00:08AM0.14m | 11:31AM0.34m | 1:02AM0.05m | 12:29PM0.28m | 1:50AM-0.01m | 1:23PM0.24m | 2:35AM-0.03m | 2:14PM0.21m | 3:16AM-0.02m | 3:04PM0.21m | 3:54AM0.03m | ||||||||
6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
— | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 12 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 8 | E 14 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 11 | ENE 9 | S 10 | S 9 | ENE 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 7 |
44 | 34 | 48 | 61 | 6 | 4 | 497 | 480 | 157 | 80 | 112 | 65 | 72 | 58 | 52 | 299 | 255 | 103 | 207 | 129 | 106 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | S 7 | S 6 | NE 10 | E 14 | SE 9 | — | S 13 | SSW 6 | S 12 | ENE 9 | S 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 8 | ENE 10 | S 11 | S 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 9 |
31 | 15 | 6 | 27 | 4 | 3 | — | 3 | 4 | 3 | 75 | 31 | 46 | 49 | 12 | 31 | 93 | 54 | 19 | 19 | 41 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | SSE 9 | NE 3 | SSE 8 | S 5 | S 7 | — | — | E 13 | NE 8 | S 12 | S 12 | NNE 7 | — | SE 13 | S 20 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | S 17 | SE 19 | ENE 10 |
16 | 29 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 34 | 3 | 24 | 5 | — | 7 | 7 | 17 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 9 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 2 | — | NNE 4 | ENE 9 | NE 7 | NNW 4 | NW 4 | WSW 4 | SW 6 | — | NW 3 | N 3 | W 2 | SW 6 | WSW 5 | — | WSW 2 | — | S 9 | S 9 |
— | 1 | — | 7 | 207 | 296 | 17 | 36 | 11 | 8 | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 59 | 23 | — | 1 | — | 220 | 343 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 22 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 638 | 10 | 3 | 80 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 72 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 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.











