
Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with 1,831 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s 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 (Sep 05) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. 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 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next two weeks or so for Cowries. It’s a reef and point setup, pretty exposed to the swell, and the best direction for it is from the ENE. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild to report there.
Right off the bat, you’ve got to be patient. The first few days are a bit of a letdown. Saturday morning, the 5th, is small with a 2ft S swell, and a cross-on breeze from the NNE at 6 mph. Not worth paddling out. The afternoon is a little cleaner but still tiny. Sunday morning, the 6th, sees a bump in the swell to 3ft from the SSW, and the wind swings offshore from the WSW at 15 mph, which cleans it up, but it’s still pretty weak overall. Sunday afternoon, though, the swell jumps to 8ft from the S, but the period is a short 6 seconds, and there’s a cross-off wind. The energy is high, but that short period and the size will make it a bit of a mess – more for the brave or the kite crew.
Monday the 7th is a cracker of a morning. Glassy conditions, NNE wind at just 3 mph, and a clean 5ft SSE swell with an 8-second period. The energy is moderate, and it’s glassy. That’s a real standout for a dawn session if you can get out. The afternoon gets a bit cross-choppy though.
Now, let’s talk about the real highlight. Tuesday morning, the 8th of September. The swell is a solid 7ft from the SSE, period up to 10 seconds, and the wind is a light cross-off from the SSE at 3 mph. This is the best on offer. The energy is strong, and the conditions are described as “very good.” This is the one to circle on the calendar. The afternoon gets onshore from the NE, so morning is the key.
The rest of that week is a bit of a mixed bag. Wednesday the 9th has a 4ft swell in the morning but a stiff 15 mph cross-off wind, which makes it a bit bumpy. Thursday the 10th sees a clean 7ft S swell with a 12 mph cross-off, but it’s flagged as marginal. Friday the 11th morning is clean and nice with 4ft SSE swell and light winds, a good session if you missed Tuesday.
Saturday the 12th is clean and small (4ft), and then Sunday the 13th brings a long-period groundswell from the SSE at 17 seconds, but it’s only 3ft and cross-on. That long period at a point break like Cowries could produce some nice lines, but the energy is high for the size, so it’ll be fat and walled up. Worth a look if you’re patient.
After that, the second week drops off. Monday the 14th through to the 20th is mostly small, weak, and plagued by cross-on winds. The 15th has a glassy morning (3ft, 10-second period), but it’s weak and ordinary. The 16th and 17th are tiny. The 18th and 19th are poor. The 20th is a moderate cross-on at 12 mph and 4ft – not great.
So, the standout is Tuesday morning, the 8th of September. That’s your best window. The Monday morning before it (7th) is also a solid glassy option. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too marginal. The crowd at Cowries can be around sometimes, but on a Tuesday morning in September, you should have a decent shot at a few waves to yourself.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sat night, calm by Mon morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Tue morning, fresh winds from the S by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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 11 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 6 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
57 | 58 | 44 | 28 | 47 | 979 | 937 | 251 | 297 | 1407 | 886 | 952 | 391 | 268 | 339 | 1713 | 632 | 613 | 454 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 2:21AM0.95m | 2:40PM1.41m | 3:47AM0.95m | 3:54PM1.46m | 5:00AM1.00m | 4:59PM1.53m | 5:58AM1.09m | 5:56PM1.59m | 6:46AM1.18m | 6:46PM1.62m | 7:29AM1.27m | 7:33PM1.61m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:51AM0.46m | 9:47PM0.29m | 9:09AM0.47m | 10:57PM0.22m | 10:24AM0.42m | 11:54PM0.14m | 11:28AM0.35m | 00:42AM0.07m | 12:24PM0.28m | 1:24AM0.04m | 1:15PM0.22m | 2:02AM0.04m | |||||||
— | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 27 | 28 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 14 | 23 | 25 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 9 | NE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 16 | SSE 18 | SSE 23 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 |
24 | 58 | 30 | 26 | 16 | 304 | 731 | 251 | 2 | 2 | 886 | 952 | 391 | 268 | 5 | 33 | 51 | 613 | 454 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | E 9 | S 10 | S 9 | E 11 | NE 7 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 8 | — | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | NNE 4 | E 9 | E 16 | E 16 | SSE 23 | SSE 22 |
57 | 7 | 44 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 105 | 48 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | NE 6 | E 9 | E 11 | S 15 | E 11 | NE 6 | NE 8 | E 10 | — | — | NE 10 | NE 9 | E 10 | E 16 | — | E 11 | E 16 | E 15 |
3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 8 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | — | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 3 | — | NW 3 | W 3 | SSW 6 | S 9 | S 9 | — | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | — | — | N 3 | WNW 2 | SSE 6 | SSE 9 | S 8 | — | — |
1 | — | 2 | 5 | 47 | 979 | 937 | — | 297 | 1407 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 339 | 1713 | 632 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 57 | 0 | 69 | 3 | 19 | 836 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 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.










