Surf Forecasts:
Crescent Head surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, ESE swell with 1,881 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 10s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Crescent Head this week:
The surf forecast for Crescent Head over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Crescent Head in the next 16 days are 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Crescent Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on the cards for Crescent Head over the next couple of weeks.
First up, the water temp is sitting at 68°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. No surprises there.
The start of the period is a bit of a write-off, I gotta be honest. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are messy. We’ve got some solid swell in the water, around 8ft to 10ft from the SE and E, but that cross-shore wind is just ruining it. The wave energy is pretty high – we’re talking 1094 to 2106 (moderate to strong energy) – but with the wind state, it’s just a chop fest. Not worth paddling out for.
Monday the 20th is a bit of a holding pattern. Still some swell, but wind is still messy. Tuesday the 21st is where things start to look up. The morning is looking real nice. The swell drops to a clean 5ft from the east, but the wind goes light and cross-offshore from the northwest. That’s a clean looking wave, and a big step up from the weekend. It’s moderate energy (517) but the quality is on the improve.
The rest of that week is pretty small and junky until we get to Friday the 24th. That’s a standout. We’ve got a solid 8ft pulse from the south, period 10 seconds, and the wind is light cross-off from the SSW. The energy jumps right up to 1671 (strong energy). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The wind is clean, the swell is there. Get on it.
Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th mornings are both glassy. Swell drops to 4ft to 4ft from the SSE, but with no wind, it’ll be smooth and fun for a longboard or a fish. The energy is low (274-283), but the conditions are perfect.
Through the next week, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The real highlight to look out for is the period around the 1st and 2nd of August. Now, that’s a week and a half away, so treat it as a promising look, but not a lock. Saturday the 1st morning shows a clean 7ft from the NE with light cross-off wind, and then Sunday the 2nd morning has a solid 8ft from the NE, also clean. The energy on Sunday morning is 1051 (moderate to strong). This looks like the best quality swell of the whole run, with clean conditions. Keep an eye on that one.
So, to sum it up: the best waves this week are Friday the 24th morning for the experienced crew, and the glassy mornings on the 25th and 26th for the mellow sessions. The long-range standout is the morning of the 2nd of August, which looks like the pick of the two weeks if it holds.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | ESE 8 | E 11 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 6 | S 8 | S 9 | S 11 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 603 | 521 | 1769 | 1437 | 1881 | 1300 | 976 | 784 | 557 | 426 | 369 | 246 | 165 | 129 | 94 | 73 | 153 | 1033 | 1459 | 1489 | 531 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:34AM1.29m | 11:35PM1.73m | 11:22AM1.32m | 00:20AM1.53m | 12:16PM1.34m | 1:03AM1.34m | 1:15PM1.37m | 1:47AM1.16m | 2:22PM1.40m | 2:36AM1.03m | 3:32PM1.45m | 3:31AM0.94m | 4:39PM1.51m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:45PM0.02m | 5:50AM0.48m | 5:39PM0.15m | 6:27AM0.51m | 6:38PM0.31m | 7:04AM0.52m | 7:45PM0.46m | 7:43AM0.52m | 9:03PM0.57m | 8:27AM0.49m | 10:28PM0.62m | 9:19AM0.46m | 11:42PM0.61m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — |
mm | — | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 11 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 |
| kJ | 430 | 521 | 1769 | 1437 | 1881 | 1300 | 976 | 784 | 557 | 426 | 369 | 246 | 165 | 129 | 94 | 73 | 54 | 603 | 802 | 701 | 531 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 21 | SSE 21 | SSE 20 | SSE 7 | SSE 17 | SE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | — | E 9 | ENE 8 | SSE 12 | E 8 |
| kJ | 44 | 42 | 37 | 131 | 59 | 48 | 62 | 82 | 78 | 66 | 37 | 28 | 19 | 18 | 8 | 10 | — | 38 | 24 | 127 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 12 | — | SSE 18 | S 17 | — | — | — | S 16 | S 15 | SE 16 | SE 15 | S 14 | — | SE 11 | — | — | — | SE 18 | ENE 9 | S 16 |
| kJ | — | 11 | — | 31 | 6 | — | — | — | 5 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 4 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 12 | 15 | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | S 6 | S 7 | S 7 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 5 | S 6 | S 8 | S 9 | S 11 | — |
| kJ | 603 | 52 | 176 | 127 | 307 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 153 | 1033 | 1459 | 1489 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 62 | 320 | 320 | 320 | 223 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 14 | 199 | 17 | 14 | 52 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Port Macquarie | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Crescent Head Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Crescent Head provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Crescent Head can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Crescent Head 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 (Crescent Head) 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 Crescent Head 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Port Macquarie? If you are looking for accommodation near Crescent Head, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Port Macquarie, consider staying in North Shore which is 25 km (16 miles) away. Other places in and around Port Macquarie where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Port Macquarie which is 28 km (17 miles) away, Taree and Coffs Harbour.
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