Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period, S swell with 269 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cowries in the next 16 days are 1.1m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, let’s have a proper look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at Cowries. It’s a reef and point set-up that can handle a fair bit of swell, and the water temp is sitting right around 64°, which is bang on normal for the time of year, so no surprises there.
To be honest, the first week or so is pretty grim. There’s nothing worth paddling out for until late in the week. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 1ft, and the wind is all over the place. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are both write-offs. We finally get a sniff of something on the Thursday morning of the 27th, with a 4ft swell out of the S, but the period is only 7 seconds – that’s short, onshore slop, not really a groundswell. The combined energy is moderate though, at 324. The wind is clean, cross-off, which is nice, but the wave quality just isn’t there for a standout.
The only real highlight, and I mean the only one worth talking about, is the Sunday morning of the 30th of August. It’s glassy, no wind at all, just a light breeze. Swell picks up to 3ft from the S with a period of 9 seconds, which is decent, and the combined energy is a moderate 247. This is the best window we get – clean, surfable waves, and it’s a reef and point so that longer period will run nicely. There’s often crowds here, but on a glassy Sunday morning you’ll be fine if you get in early.
Nothing else comes close. Monday the 31st is glassy again with 3ft, but it’s too small to call a standout. After that, we drop off again into tiny, messy junk for the first week of September. There’s a brief window on the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September with a 3ft S swell and clean cross-off wind, moderate energy at 309, but it’s still marginal. The long-range stuff on the 6th of September has a 4ft S swell but it’s onshore, so don’t bank on it.
Bottom line: if you want the best of it, paddle out at Cowries on Sunday morning the 30th of August. It’s not going to blow your mind, but the glassy conditions will make it feel twice as good. Everything else is a wait-and-see.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 11 | S 8 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 6 | 85 | 127 | 171 | 158 | 90 | 70 | 64 | 85 | 51 | 112 | 101 | 112 | 240 | 153 | 94 | 82 | 82 | 78 | 84 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:59PM1.27m | 4:58AM0.87m | 4:56PM1.32m | 5:50AM0.92m | 5:44PM1.38m | 6:32AM0.98m | 6:26PM1.44m | 7:08AM1.05m | 7:04PM1.49m | 7:43AM1.13m | 7:41PM1.52m | 8:17AM1.20m | 8:17PM1.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:09PM0.43m | 10:09AM0.54m | 11:58PM0.37m | 11:07AM0.50m | 00:38AM0.30m | 11:55AM0.44m | 1:12AM0.24m | 12:39PM0.38m | 1:45AM0.18m | 1:20PM0.33m | 2:16AM0.14m | 2:00PM0.29m | 2:46AM0.12m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 21 | 19 | 14 |
Feels °C | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 11 | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | S 9 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SSE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 85 | 127 | 71 | 158 | 90 | 70 | 44 | 39 | 24 | 112 | 101 | 112 | 161 | 113 | 94 | 63 | 82 | 78 | 84 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 4 | SSE 16 | S 12 | ENE 4 | ENE 8 | E 13 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 9 | S 8 | S 11 | S 11 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 7 | S 7 | S 9 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 2 | 47 | 171 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 64 | 40 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 82 | 56 | 76 | 82 | 52 | 24 | 16 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 5 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | — | ENE 9 | E 13 | E 13 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | S 16 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | SE 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | S 9 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | — | 8 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 3 | — | — | — | NE 6 | NNW 3 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | — | NE 6 | ENE 6 | — | — | SSE 4 | S 7 | S 7 | — | — | — | SE 3 | S 5 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | 14 | 37 | — | 85 | 51 | — | — | 25 | 240 | 153 | — | — | — | 3 | 28 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 289 | 219 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 3 | 10 | 67 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 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.
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