Surf Forecasts:
Crescent Head surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 7s period, NE swell with 370 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 7s period with ENE 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Crescent Head in the next 16 days are 2.1m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Crescent Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down the Crescent Head outlook for the next couple of weeks.
Straight up, the first week is a bust. There’s a big gap of about a week before we see anything worth waxing up for. The wind is a mess, the swell is tiny, and the combined energy numbers are mostly in the double digits or low hundreds – that’s weak sauce. You’d be paddling for nothing.
The first real glimmer of hope is the morning of Monday, August 31st. The wind is glassy from the ESE, which is a massive win. The wave comment says "expect good surf conditions." The swell is 3ft from the SSE with a 8-second period. That’s a short-period groundswell, but the glassy conditions will make it clean. The combined energy is 273 (moderate). This is the standout. Crescent Head is a point break, so longer-period swells (over 11 seconds) are usually better here, but these clean, glassy conditions are a rare treat. The water temp is 68°F, which is about normal for the time of year.
Then, the morning of Tuesday, September 1st, also looks clean. Clear skies, cross-off wind from the NW at 6 mph, which is clean. The swell is 3ft from the SSE with an 8-second period. The combined energy is 210 (moderate). The wave comment again says "expect good surf conditions." This is a solid backup option, but it’s not as big as the Monday session.
The only other thing to note is the afternoon of Saturday, September 5th, with a 2ft swell from the SSE and a very long period of 21 seconds. That’s a true groundswell, and the combined energy is 417 (strong). But the wind is cross-on from the NNE at 9 mph, which will mess it up. The wave comment is "poor surf conditions." For a point break, a long-period swell like this often breaks too straight, especially with onshore wind. It’s a letdown.
So, the best bet is the Monday morning, August 31st session. The glassy, clean conditions on a 3ft, 8-second SSE swell will be fun, uncrowded, and clean. The following Tuesday morning is also a good, clean option. Everything else in the 16-day window is either too small, too windy, or both. Don’t hold your breath for the second week; it’s mostly small and poor.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | NE 7 | NNE 5 | ENE 9 | NE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | S 7 | SSE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 24 | 15 | 30 | 130 | 104 | 117 | 96 | 90 | 84 | 61 | 335 | 93 | 72 | 87 | 166 | 199 | 99 | 75 | 103 | 90 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:12PM1.50m | 3:54AM0.86m | 5:14PM1.56m | 4:57AM0.92m | 6:04PM1.62m | 5:45AM1.01m | 6:47PM1.68m | 6:26AM1.12m | 7:25PM1.72m | 7:03AM1.23m | 8:00PM1.73m | 7:40AM1.34m | 8:34PM1.72m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:28PM0.66m | 9:43AM0.42m | 00:14AM0.62m | 10:48AM0.35m | 00:48AM0.58m | 11:42AM0.25m | 1:18AM0.54m | 12:29PM0.16m | 1:45AM0.50m | 1:12PM0.08m | 2:13AM0.46m | 1:53PM0.03m | 2:40AM0.42m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | |  |  | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 9 | SSE 5 | E 6 | E 6 | SSE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 |
| kJ | 24 | 15 | 30 | 34 | 85 | 61 | 96 | 64 | 84 | 52 | 147 | 93 | 72 | 87 | 166 | 125 | 96 | 62 | 103 | 90 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 11 | S 9 | SSE 11 | E 6 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SE 11 | S 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 2 | 6 | 5 | 130 | 73 | 117 | 26 | 47 | 28 | 28 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 76 | 160 | 99 | 75 | 75 | 72 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 8 | SSE 13 | ENE 8 | SSE 12 | S 19 | ENE 7 | SE 14 | SSE 13 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | S 8 | — | — | S 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | NE 8 |
| kJ | 2 | 5 | 16 | 26 | 104 | 7 | 29 | 8 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 21 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 17 | 16 | 14 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 3 | SSE 5 | — | — | NE 7 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 6 | NE 7 | — | — | SSW 3 | S 6 | S 7 | — | — | E 3 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | 72 | — | — | 93 | 90 | 46 | 61 | 335 | — | — | 2 | 132 | 199 | — | — | 1 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 91 | 52 | 17 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 46 | 76 | 171 | 0 | 0 | 197 | 0 | 14 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 290 | 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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