Surf Forecasts:
Forster Beach (Nambucca) surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 8s period, S swell with 675 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Forster Beach (Nambucca) this week:
The surf forecast for Forster Beach (Nambucca) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 18s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Forster Beach (Nambucca) in the next 16 days are 2.2m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Forster Beach (Nambucca) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Forster Beach (Nambucca). We’ve got a bit of a slow start and a few messy days ahead, but there’s one serious standout later in the window if you’re patient.
Right now, the water’s sitting at 66°F, which is about average for this time of year—nothing out of the ordinary. The first session worth paddling out for is Sunday morning the 16th. It’s cloudy with a 5ft swell from the south, period short at 7 seconds, and a cross-off breeze keeping things clean. The combined energy is moderate (287), so nothing huge, but it’s surfable. That afternoon sees light rain and the same sort of size, still clean.
Monday the 17th morning picks up a touch—5ft from the east-southeast, still short period at 7 seconds, but the energy jumps to moderate (535) and conditions stay clean with a light cross-off. Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning hold similar clean 5ft waves, energy dropping back a little but still worth a look for a beginner-friendly wave.
Tuesday afternoon the 18th gets a bit cross and choppy, not worth getting excited about. Wednesday the 19th morning is clean again with 5ft from the east-southeast, period stretching to 10 seconds—that’s a bit more groundswell character, energy moderate (443). Wednesday arvo turns cross-on and bumpy.
Thursday the 20th morning is glassy but only 4ft from the east-southeast, energy weak (189)—ordinary waves. That arvo gets blown out with a moderate cross-onshore. From Friday the 21st through Saturday the 22nd, it’s mostly poor: onshore winds, weak energy, not worth the paddle. The whole stretch from Thursday arvo to Saturday arvo is a write-off.
Then comes the standout. Sunday morning the 23rd of August—this is the one to circle. We’ve got 7ft from the south at 8 seconds, combined energy strong at 1171. That’s a proper pulse of swell, but it’s short-period, so it’ll be a bit juiced-up and dumpy on the beach. The wind is cross-off from the south, so it should be clean. This is for experienced surfers only—over 8ft is expert territory, and 7ft is pushing it for beginners. For a beach break, that short period will make for steep, fast takeoffs. Still, if you know what you’re doing, Sunday morning is the best on offer. The afternoon turns cross-on and messy, so get it early.
Monday the 24th is small and average. Tuesday the 25th morning sees 5ft from the south at 10 seconds, energy moderate (483), clean cross-off—decent but not a standout. Tuesday arvo gets strong again with 6ft from the south at 13 seconds, energy very strong (1071), but a moderate cross-shore wind makes it choppy and marginal.
Wednesday the 26th morning has 6ft from the south-southeast at 12 seconds, energy strong (1008), cross-off wind keeping it clean—another solid window for experienced surfers, though still short of that Sunday morning peak. After that, from Thursday the 27th onwards, it fades fast: energy drops, swell shrinks, and by the end of the month we’re down to weak 2–3ft waves with poor winds. There’s a gap from Thursday arvo the 27th all the way through to the end of the outlook with nothing worth chasing.
So the clear best bet is Sunday the 23rd morning: 7ft south swell, clean, strong energy, but keep it for the crew who can handle a punchy beach break.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 22°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 7 | SSE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | E 7 | E 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | S 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
209 | 186 | 178 | 250 | 220 | 234 | 257 | 268 | 286 | 417 | 305 | 199 | 186 | 94 | 142 | 146 | 227 | 253 | 123 | 111 | 362 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:29AM1.34m | 10:34PM1.41m | 11:13AM1.33m | 11:13PM1.24m | 11:59AM1.31m | 11:54PM1.08m | 12:50PM1.27m | 00:43AM0.94m | 1:50PM1.24m | 1:48AM0.84m | 2:58PM1.23m | 3:13AM0.80m | 4:07PM1.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:25PM0.20m | 4:53AM0.10m | 5:14PM0.31m | 5:27AM0.18m | 6:08PM0.41m | 6:03AM0.27m | 7:12PM0.50m | 6:45AM0.35m | 8:32PM0.54m | 7:40AM0.41m | 10:01PM0.53m | 8:51AM0.44m | 11:11PM0.47m | ||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | |
— | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | |
mm | 1 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | S 18 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | E 7 | E 7 | SE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 |
20 | 98 | 178 | 250 | 220 | 234 | 257 | 268 | 286 | 417 | 305 | 199 | 186 | 94 | 142 | 146 | 12 | 168 | 123 | 111 | 51 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | E 10 | S 7 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 11 | S 8 | ESE 12 | S 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 9 | ESE 10 | E 9 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | S 10 | — |
55 | 18 | 103 | 54 | 54 | 50 | 60 | 23 | 156 | 22 | 28 | 34 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | ESE 8 | E 9 | S 17 | S 16 | E 9 | S 9 | ESE 13 | S 8 | S 15 | S 10 | ESE 12 | — | — | S 14 | S 12 | — | S 11 | S 10 | SE 7 | — |
3 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 24 | 70 | 12 | 4 | 30 | 13 | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSE 7 | — | ESE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 7 | — | — | NE 7 | NE 7 | WNW 3 | SW 2 | S 8 |
209 | 186 | — | 208 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | — | — | 227 | 253 | 1 | 1 | 362 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 2 | 8 | 214 | 34 | 8 | 0 | 54 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Port Macquarie | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Information about the Forster Beach (Nambucca) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Forster Beach (Nambucca) 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 (Nambucca) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Forster Beach (Nambucca) 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 (Nambucca)) 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 (Nambucca) 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.
Forster Beach (Nambucca) is 31 km (19 miles) from the city of Coffs Harbour. If you plan a holiday in Port Macquarie, look for hotels and other accommodation in Coffs Harbour. Coffs Harbour has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











