Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 7 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, SE swell with 2,717 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period with SE 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 (Jul 07) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 3.0m and 11s. 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 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s run through what’s cooking at Cowries (reef and point).
First up, the early days are packing some serious size, but you’ll need to pick your windows. Water temp is about 66°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year.
Tuesday morning, July 7th drops a 10-ft SSE swell with a 10-second period. The combined energy is 3692 (strong to very strong), so it’s got plenty of grunt. Wind is cross-off from the SSW at 12 mph – clean conditions, but that 10-ft surf is expert-only on this fairly exposed point. Tuesday afternoon bumps up to 12-ft from the SE at 11 seconds (4881 combined), which is likely too much for the break.
Wednesday, July 8th is still pretty big at around 8-ft, dropping to 8-ft. Swell from the SE, cross-off winds, but the energy backs down to 1405/2271. Still for the confident surfer.
Thursday morning, July 9th is a sweet spot: 5-ft from the SE at 10 seconds (727 combined energy), with cross-off winds from the SSW at 9 mph. The call is “expect very good surf conditions” – that’s clean, manageable, and fun for most. That’s your early pick.
Friday morning, July 10th is glassy with a light SW wind at 3 mph, swell around 5-ft from the SE (9-second period, 358 combined energy). Get out there early because the afternoon turns onshore.
The second week brings a highlight: Thursday, July 16th. A 7-ft S groundswell with a 12-second period (very long period, so expect long lulls but great lines). Combined energy of 1175 (moderate to strong). Wind is cross-off from the SSW at 12 mph, keeping it clean. This is big and powerful – experts only. It’s a long-range call, so it’s promising but not set in stone.
After that, the surf fades hard. From July 19th, heights drop to around 2-ft or less, and it stays flat or poor through the end of the window. There’s a long stretch of nothing much.
For the two best days: Thursday morning, July 9th for clean, medium conditions that suit a wide range, and Thursday, July 16th for a big, long-period groundswell with clean offshore winds – that one’s for the experienced surfers.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the W by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 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 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | S 6 | ESE 9 | S 12 | S 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1868 | 2717 | 1834 | 1207 | 981 | 625 | 499 | 479 | 393 | 351 | 347 | 269 | 199 | 139 | 115 | 51 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 25 | 12 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 1:35PM1.22m | 1:24AM1.17m | 2:29PM1.30m | 2:31AM1.09m | 3:26PM1.39m | 3:46AM1.05m | 4:24PM1.49m | 5:01AM1.03m | 5:22PM1.59m | 6:10AM1.05m | 6:18PM1.69m | 7:11AM1.08m | 7:13PM1.76m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:33PM0.49m | 7:49AM0.26m | 8:46PM0.45m | 8:41AM0.29m | 10:01PM0.37m | 9:39AM0.31m | 11:11PM0.26m | 10:39AM0.31m | 00:15AM0.15m | 11:39AM0.30m | 1:13AM0.05m | 12:37PM0.28m | 2:07AM-0.03m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | |  | |
 | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — |
 | — | 4:59 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | S 6 | SSW 5 | S 12 | S 8 |
| kJ | 1538 | 2164 | 1834 | 1207 | 850 | 433 | 499 | 479 | 393 | 351 | 347 | 269 | 199 | 139 | 115 | 51 | 16 | 20 | 6 | 25 | 12 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | — | — | ESE 14 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | S 16 | — | — | E 16 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | SSW 4 | S 11 |
| kJ | 286 | — | — | 198 | 440 | 423 | 222 | 78 | 5 | — | — | 20 | 102 | 115 | 54 | 17 | 9 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 23 | S 18 | S 16 | — | S 20 | S 15 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | SSW 5 | ESE 11 | SE 8 | S 11 | S 5 | E 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 6 | 5 | — | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SE 11 | — | — | SSE 10 | SE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 2 | NW 3 | NW 3 | W 4 | W 4 | W 3 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 |
| kJ | 1868 | 2717 | — | — | 981 | 625 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 10 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 83 | 36 | 98 | 9 | 36 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cowries surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest