Surf Forecasts:
Cowries surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, SSE swell with 523 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. 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 2.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cowries over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, checking in with the outlook for Cowries.
We've got a bit of a slow start, but there are a couple of moments that look worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting at a normal 63.9°, so nothing unusual there for early September.
For the first few days, it’s small. Wednesday the 2nd through to Saturday the 5th offer up tiny 1.6ft to 3ft waves, mostly from the south. The wind will play ball at times, especially Thursday morning with a clean offshore breeze, but the energy just isn't there. The combined swell energy is weak, between 71 and 106. It'll be a fun little grovel if you're desperate.
Sunday the 6th sees a small bump in energy. A 2.3ft south swell with a 12-second period rolls in Sunday morning, giving a combined energy of 235 – still not huge, but the longer period will offer some nicer shaped lines if you’re on the right board. The glassy conditions on Monday morning the 7th, with a 3.6ft south swell (207 energy), would be your best early bet for a clean, easy session.
Now, here’s the standout. Don’t sleep on Tuesday the 8th. We’ve got a 5.2ft swell from the SSE (333 energy) with light cross-off winds in the morning. That’s a solid step up in size, and it’ll be clean. The long period (12 seconds) on Sunday hinted at it, but Tuesday morning is where the reef and point starts to show its teeth. Crowds are possible, so get in early.
Looking further out, Thursday the 10th morning shows a jump to 7.9ft (moderate energy of 1151), but the cross-off wind is strong. That’s getting into expert territory if it gets bigger, but it'll be a handful. The real long-range highlight is Friday the 11th: a 6.6ft SSE groundswell with an 11-second period, and glassy conditions in the morning. That's a massive combined energy of 1023. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a week and a half away, so keep an eye on the forecast, but the potential for some serious, clean swell is there.
After that, it drops off again. A glassy 4.3ft swell on Wednesday the 16th (375 energy) is worth a look, but the second week is mostly smaller and wind-affected. Don’t expect much from the 13th to the 15th.
For now, the best windows are Tuesday morning the 8th and that promising Friday the 11th. Stay stoked.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sat afternoon, calm by Sun afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | ||||||||||||||
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 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 7 | S 11 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 7 | S 12 | S 9 | S 11 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 73 | 49 | 59 | 52 | 32 | 158 | 54 | 57 | 41 | 30 | 21 | 130 | 198 | 351 | 198 | 154 | 441 | 322 | 151 | 107 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:52PM1.11m | 12:23PM1.40m | 00:58AM1.01m | 1:27PM1.40m | 2:21AM0.95m | 2:40PM1.41m | 3:47AM0.95m | 3:54PM1.46m | 5:00AM1.00m | 4:59PM1.53m | 5:58AM1.09m | 5:56PM1.59m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:57PM0.31m | 5:47AM0.33m | 7:06PM0.34m | 6:42AM0.40m | 8:26PM0.34m | 7:51AM0.46m | 9:47PM0.29m | 9:09AM0.47m | 10:57PM0.22m | 10:24AM0.42m | 11:54PM0.14m | 11:28AM0.35m | 00:42AM0.07m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |  |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 28 | 26 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 23 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 24 | 22 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 7 | S 7 | S 9 | NE 6 | NE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 9 | E 10 | E 11 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 73 | 49 | 59 | 52 | 32 | 158 | 54 | 24 | 41 | 30 | 21 | 99 | 198 | 351 | 198 | 8 | 9 | 322 | 151 | 107 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | ENE 10 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | S 11 | E 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 | NE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | NE 6 | NE 8 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | NE 3 |
| kJ | 14 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 57 | 7 | 28 | 16 | 130 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | SSE 12 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | S 17 | E 9 | E 11 | NE 6 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | — | NE 8 | — | NE 9 | ENE 10 |
| kJ | 19 | 29 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 8 | — | 3 | — | 3 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 2 | WSW 2 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 | — | ENE 3 | NE 5 | NE 5 | WNW 4 | SW 4 | — | — | — | NNW 2 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | — | ENE 2 | NNW 2 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | — | 1 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 154 | 441 | — | 1 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 272 | 2 | 0 | 69 | 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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