Surf Forecasts:
Dunes surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 18s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 17s period, WSW swell with 1,352 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 19s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Dunes this week:
The surf forecast for Dunes over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Dunes in the next 16 days are 1.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 4s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AWST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Dunes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the Dunes.
The whole sixteen-day stretch is a bit of a mixed bag, honestly. We’ve got a real long run of marginal days at the start, but there are a couple of windows that’ll make it worth paddling out. The first real sign of life doesn’t show until the end of August, so for the first couple of days you’re looking at small, clean but average waves.
The standout session that’s got my heart pumping is the Sunday morning of the 30th of August. The Dunes (reef) will be seeing a clean, glassy 3 ft swell rolling in from the southwest. The wind is dead calm, glassy as it gets, and while the waves won’t be huge, that super-long period of 17 seconds will give them a real push. The energy is moderate (545), but with those conditions, it’s going to be an absolute dream for a longboard or a funboard. You won’t have to share it much either, as crowds are only sometimes an issue. Keep in mind that long period swell like this can be a bit straight at a beach break, but on a reef like Dunes, it’ll groove.
Then, come Monday morning the 31st of August, we get another belter. The swell comes up a touch to 4 ft from the southwest, still with that lovely long 16-second pulse. The wind is light and cross-offshore, which means the faces will be clean as a whistle. The wave energy is cranking into the strong range (1216), so for a more experienced surfer, this is where it’s at. It’s not too big for a good paddle, but it’s got some grunt behind it. The water temp is about usual for the time of year, so no nasty surprises.
The first half of September is pretty quiet, with the swell dropping right back to around 3 ft for days. We then get a bit of a swell bump around the 10th of September, with the Thursday morning seeing a 6 ft southwest swell. That’s a proper size, and with a 16-second period, the energy is strong (1989). I’d call this one for experts only, as it’s over the 8 ft threshold for comfort. The winds are cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, but it’s a heavy one. That Friday morning, the 11th of September, is similar at 6 ft (1611) and also clean, so another one for the crew with the big boards and guts.
Outside of those mornings, there’s a fair bit of chop and cross-shore wind in the afternoons, especially when the wind swings westerly. The second week is pretty unremarkable—some small, clean mornings that size up around 3 ft to 5 ft, but nothing that’ll get the heart racing. The very last day, Saturday the 12th of September, gives us a fresh offshore wind but only 4 ft of swell, so a clean but small finish.
To wrap it up: Sunday the 30th of August morning is the absolute winner for all-round fun, and Monday the 31st of August morning is the one for the rippers. Don’t sleep on that glassy Sunday.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Fri afternoon, min 17°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Thu night, calm by Sun morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 20°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 19 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
1126 | 1031 | 902 | 569 | 331 | 248 | 246 | 439 | 885 | 711 | 644 | 674 | 1279 | 1136 | 957 | 759 | 624 | 561 | 672 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:45PM1.54m | 11:26AM1.78m | 00:06AM1.66m | 12:00PM1.85m | 00:28AM1.77m | 12:33PM1.89m | 00:51AM1.87m | 1:05PM1.87m | 1:16AM1.94m | 1:36PM1.80m | 1:42AM1.99m | 2:09PM1.69m | 2:10AM2.00m | ||||||
Low Tide | 5:20AM0.63m | 5:50PM0.26m | 5:52AM0.47m | 6:16PM0.23m | 6:23AM0.33m | 6:40PM0.23m | 6:55AM0.23m | 7:05PM0.26m | 7:27AM0.18m | 7:29PM0.32m | 8:01AM0.18m | 7:52PM0.39m | |||||||
— | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
6:12 | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 24 |
Feels °C | 16 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
1126 | 1031 | 902 | 569 | 331 | 248 | 140 | 439 | 885 | 711 | 644 | 674 | 1279 | 1136 | 957 | 759 | 624 | 561 | 672 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | — | — | W 22 | WSW 22 | SW 21 | WSW 19 | SW 12 | NE 6 | SW 13 | WSW 19 | WSW 19 | NE 6 | N 6 | SSE 3 | N 5 | SW 5 | N 6 | NE 7 |
6 | — | — | 10 | 50 | 116 | 246 | 106 | 1 | 205 | 572 | 578 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 | N 7 | NE 6 | W 21 | — | — | — | — | — | N 6 | — | N 11 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | 2 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SE 4 | S 3 | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SW 2 | SSW 5 | S 3 | — | WSW 3 | S 3 | SW 3 | SSW 4 | SSE 4 | WSW 2 | SSW 5 | SSE 3 | SW 4 | S 4 |
73 | 28 | 6 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 4 | 29 | 12 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 660 | 1310 | 1207 | 660 | 15 | 1145 | 660 | 0 | 1288 | 227 | 0 | 1446 | 659 | 15 | 1307 | 766 | 15 | 1446 | 660 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North West WA | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Dunes Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Dunes provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Dunes can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Dunes 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 (Dunes) 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 Dunes 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 North West WA? If you are looking for accommodation near Dunes, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in North West WA, consider staying in Exmouth which is 15 km (9 miles) away.











