Surf Forecasts:
Forster Beach surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, ESE swell with 358 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Forster Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Forster Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Forster Beach in the next 16 days are 1.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Forster Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you—Forster Beach is looking at a pretty grim run for the first week and a half. There’s a big gap of nothing worth paddling out for until well into the second week. The real story here is a huge, late-arriving swell that’s going to be too big for the beach, but for a short window we get some magic.
The first recommendation doesn’t come until Sunday the 23rd of August, and even then it’s a sad one. That morning, we’ve got a 2 ft swell from the NE with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is weak (67). The wind is glassy though, so it’s clean. But it’s tiny and ordinary. Still, if you’re desperate, you could get wet.
Then we go into another dry spell. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th have some small, clean-ish bumps but the scores are all poor. The water temperature is about 66°F, which is pretty normal for the time of year, not far off the average.
The big turn comes Saturday the 29th of August. The morning shows a 7 ft SSW swell, period of 8 seconds, with a clean offshore wind. The combined energy jumps to 948 (moderate), but the forecast is only marginal. The afternoon picks up: 7 ft from the S, period 12 seconds, energy 1172 (strong). It’s clean, but the note says it’s questionable. This is for experienced surfers only.
The standout is Sunday the 30th of August. That morning we see a 10 ft S swell at 13 seconds, energy 6255 (very strong). The wind is light offshore. It’s big, and it’s clean. But the afternoon is the real beast: 13 ft from the S at a very long 17 seconds, energy 8537. The problem is, the tip says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. Forster Beach is a fairly exposed beach, and with that period it’ll be breaking too straight. Honestly, this is expert territory only, and even then, it might be more a kite-surfing show than a paddling session.
Monday the 31st of August morning is a hidden gem. The swell drops to 8 ft from the S at 12 seconds, energy 1628 (strong). The wind is glassy, calm. The forecast says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” That’s the one to circle. It’s big but clean, and with the long period there will be proper gaps between sets. If you’re solid, get out there.
After that, Tuesday the 1st of September morning has a 5 ft SSE swell at 11 seconds, energy 475 (moderate). Glassy again. It’s good, but not as special as the day before. Then it fades out quickly.
So the best on offer is Monday the 31st of August morning. Big, clean, solid groundswell. Don’t sleep on it. The rest of the window is either flat, dirty, or too dangerous.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Tue night, fresh winds from the NE by Thu afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 15°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 9 | E 7 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSW 9 | NE 8 | S 9 | S 13 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
193 | 161 | 133 | 328 | 188 | 117 | 88 | 171 | 51 | 33 | 39 | 27 | 16 | 26 | 35 | 60 | 85 | 73 | 100 | 80 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 00:15AM1.23m | 12:57PM1.37m | 1:00AM1.11m | 1:48PM1.36m | 1:53AM1.02m | 2:43PM1.36m | 2:58AM0.96m | 3:42PM1.38m | 4:10AM0.96m | 4:41PM1.42m | 5:22AM1.00m | 5:34PM1.48m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:12PM0.55m | 6:12AM0.46m | 7:11PM0.64m | 6:51AM0.53m | 8:25PM0.69m | 7:41AM0.59m | 9:55PM0.68m | 8:46AM0.62m | 11:11PM0.61m | 9:57AM0.62m | 00:01AM0.52m | 11:01AM0.58m | 00:39AM0.43m | |||||||
— | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | |
5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 14 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 10 | E 9 | E 7 | SE 7 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | SE 7 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 8 | S 9 | S 8 | ENE 7 | S 10 | NE 6 |
85 | 161 | 93 | 328 | 188 | 117 | 31 | 128 | 51 | 7 | 39 | 27 | 16 | 13 | 35 | 60 | 68 | 35 | 100 | 43 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | S 10 | SSE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | S 13 | SE 7 | E 9 | SE 7 | SSW 4 | SSW 6 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 10 | ESE 6 | S 10 |
69 | 143 | 133 | 29 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 26 | 26 | 48 | 43 | 73 | 6 | 80 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | S 11 | S 10 | — | E 12 | N 8 | S 14 | S 13 | E 9 | S 11 | S 10 | SE 7 | S 9 | ENE 9 | S 16 | S 17 | S 13 | SSW 7 | S 16 | NE 9 |
8 | 56 | 46 | — | 11 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 50 | 85 | 18 | 20 | 20 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | — | — | — | NE 4 | N 3 | NE 6 | NE 6 | — | NE 6 | — | — | — | SSW 5 | S 3 | — | NE 3 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | — |
193 | — | — | — | 29 | 6 | 88 | 171 | — | 33 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | 2 | 6 | 35 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 194 | 0 | 15 | 195 | 35 | 35 | 200 | 0 | 17 | 195 | 59 | 69 | 211 | 59 | 0 | 35 | 35 | 15 | 27 | 15 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Port Macquarie | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Forster Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Forster Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Forster Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Forster Beach 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 (Forster Beach) 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 Forster Beach 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 Forster Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Port Macquarie, consider staying in Forster which is 5 km (3 miles) away. Other places in and around Port Macquarie where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Taree which is 34 km (21 miles) away, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie and North Shore.











