
Surf Forecasts:
Cudmirrah Reef surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, NE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s period, S swell with 1,724 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 10s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cudmirrah Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Cudmirrah Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cudmirrah Reef in the next 16 days are 2.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cudmirrah Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your wettie, let’s have a look at what’s happening.
The next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag, with a real lack of quality, clean surf for a solid chunk of the window. We’ve got a long stretch of average, weak, and wind-affected conditions before a couple of windows where things might turn on, but you’ll need to pick your moments carefully. The first real opportunity is over a week away, and it’s not until the back half of the run that we see any real size.
Friday, August 7th kicks things off with tiny, weak leftovers at Cudmirrah Reef. We’re looking at a 1ft SSE swell with a 9-second period, and the energy is real weak – only 83 units of combined energy directed here. It’s glassy early, which is nice, but honestly, it’s barely surfable. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. You’d be scratching for anything.
The weekend stays pretty flat. Saturday morning has the same 1ft dribble, then it gets chopped out by a 12 mph NE breeze in the afternoon. Sunday, we get a touch more swell, up to 3ft ENE, but it’s still weak energy and the wind swings to a cross-off at 9 mph. It’s surfable for a grovel but nothing to write home about.
Monday, August 10th sees a slight bump in energy (277 units) with a 4ft ENE swell, but it’s still short-period and the 19 mph NW offshore wind is fresh. It’ll be clean but pretty average.
Then we hit a real lull. From Tuesday the 11th through to Thursday the 13th, things are poor. Small swells, short periods, and a lot of cross-off or cross-onshore wind. The energy readings are weak to moderate at best, and the surf quality is just poor. This is a stretch where you might as well do something else.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. On Thursday, August 13th morning, a pulse of proper south swell shows up. We’re looking at 8ft at 11 seconds from the S, and the energy jumps to a strong 1742 units. That’s a big jump. But here’s the catch – the wind is a moderate 12 mph cross-shore from the SW, which will put some chop on it. For a reef break like Cudmirrah, this is expert territory. 8ft is over that beginner threshold for sure, and it’s only for experienced surfers.
Friday morning, August 14th, the swell backs off a touch to 5ft from the S with a 10-second period, still 520 units of energy. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it might be a bit more manageable. Still, this is the standout window, offering the most size and power we’ve seen all week. The long-period nature of it (11 seconds on Thursday) actually suits a reef or point setup, but this is a reef, so it could be good. But that cross-shore wind on Thursday is a real buzzkill.
After that, the surf fades fast. The weekend of the 15th and 16th drops back to 4ft and smaller, with onshore winds making it messy. From the 17th through the 20th, it’s mostly tiny, weak, and poor, with no real energy or decent waves.
There is a final glimmer on Friday, August 21st. The morning starts glassy with a 5ft S swell at 5 seconds, but that short period is a bad sign, and the energy is moderate at 109 units. It might be a bit fat and crumbly. By the afternoon, the swell jumps to 8ft from the S, but the period is still short and the wind swings onshore, which will close it out. Not ideal.
Then on Saturday, August 22nd, there’s 7ft of S swell left, but again, it’s short-period and cross-shore, so it’ll be a mess.
So, the honest truth is, the only window that holds any real appeal is Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th. That’s when we see the most size and energy, and for a reef like Cudmirrah, that long-period component on Thursday could make for some proper waves if you can handle the bump. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s not for the faint-hearted. But it’s the best we’re going to get in this 16-day run. Everything else is just flat and grovelly. The rest of the window is more of a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun night, light winds from the NW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | S 11 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | NE 8 | NE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
53 | 35 | 58 | 45 | 30 | 42 | 33 | 95 | 343 | 599 | 270 | 194 | 54 | 154 | 43 | 94 | 128 | 73 | 24 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | glassy | on | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:21AM1.00m | 2:56PM1.40m | 3:44AM0.96m | 4:03PM1.48m | 5:02AM0.98m | 5:07PM1.56m | 6:08AM1.03m | 6:06PM1.64m | 7:04AM1.09m | 7:00PM1.70m | 7:54AM1.16m | 7:51PM1.72m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:09AM0.39m | 9:52PM0.33m | 9:16AM0.42m | 11:05PM0.24m | 10:26AM0.41m | 00:08AM0.14m | 11:31AM0.37m | 1:02AM0.05m | 12:30PM0.31m | 1:51AM-0.01m | 1:24PM0.26m | 2:36AM-0.03m | |||||||
— | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 7 | SE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 10 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | S 11 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | NE 8 | S 8 |
53 | 34 | 58 | 44 | 27 | 18 | 33 | 95 | 9 | 599 | 270 | 194 | 54 | 154 | 43 | 94 | 128 | 73 | 19 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | S 13 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | S 11 | E 10 | ENE 10 | S 9 | NE 10 |
36 | 35 | 34 | 45 | 30 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 35 | 39 | 53 | 33 | 41 | 24 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | S 6 | SE 11 | SE 13 | SE 9 | — | S 21 | E 13 | NE 8 | ENE 10 | NNE 8 | — | S 14 | SE 13 |
15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 3 | — | 9 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 6 | — | 4 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 3 | — | — | — | — | ENE 7 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 9 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | W 4 | W 5 | W 4 | WNW 4 | NW 3 | NNE 6 | W 5 | WSW 5 |
3 | — | — | — | — | 42 | 14 | 56 | 343 | 21 | 30 | 34 | 74 | 19 | 13 | 9 | 65 | 126 | 162 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 301 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 0 | 11 | 102 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 191 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cudmirrah Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cudmirrah Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cudmirrah Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cudmirrah Reef 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 (Cudmirrah Reef) 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 Cudmirrah Reef 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 South Coast - New South Wales? If you are looking for accommodation near Cudmirrah Reef, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in South Coast - New South Wales, consider staying in Nowra which is 34 km (21 miles) away. Other places in and around South Coast - New South Wales where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Port Kembla which is 82 km (51 miles) away, Wollongong and Goulburn.











