Surf Forecasts:
Little Austi and Main Beach surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 6s period, SSE swell with 193 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Little Austi and Main Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Little Austi and Main Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Little Austi and Main Beach in the next 16 days are 1.5m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Little Austi and Main Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s happening at our local break, Little Austi and Main Beach. It’s a beach and reef setup, fairly consistent, exposed to ENE swell, and it likes wind from the NW to keep things clean. The water’s sitting at about 63°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Honestly, the first week is a bit of a struggle. From Thursday the 13th right through to the end of the following week, the surf is mostly small, weak, and messy. We’ve got a lot of poor surf conditions with combined swell energy barely cracking triple digits most days – think readings like 35, 55, 19 – so the ocean’s just not got any punch. Winds are often onshore or cross-onshore, adding chop and ripples. There’s a glassy moment on Friday morning the 14th but the swell is only 1 ft and the energy is a paltry 31, so it’s not worth paddling out for.
Sunday the 16th sees a jump in height to 5 ft from the SSE, and the energy hits 212 (moderate), but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is onshore, so it’s lumpy and junky. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than anything you’d want to paddle into. The rest of that week stays in the poor-to-ordinary range, with small swell and cross-shore winds.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The real standout comes on Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd – that’s over a week away, so keep an eye on the forecasts. Saturday morning sees clean conditions with a moderate offshore NW breeze, 4 ft ENE swell at a period of 9 seconds, and energy of 203 (moderate). But it’s Saturday afternoon that’s the pick: 5 ft from the ENE, period 9 seconds, a light WNW offshore breeze making it clean, and the combined energy jumps to 563 – that’s strong energy, real push. That’s going to produce some proper, rippable waves at Little Austi and Main Beach. Sunday morning holds similar quality with 4 ft and clean offshore wind, though the energy drops a bit to 273. Still very good.
The swell direction matches the optimum (ENE), the winds are offshore, the period is decent (9 seconds – solid short-period groundswell, not too straight-breaking for this beach-and-reef setup), and the energy is strong. This is the window to clear your schedule for. Crowds can be an issue here sometimes, so expect company if the forecast holds.
After that, Monday the 24th gets blown out by strong SSW winds and the surf fades quickly into tiny, choppy junk through to the end of the outlook.
So, bottom line: the first week and a half is pretty flat and messy – a proper dry spell. Don’t bother until the 22nd. That Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning is your best shot by far. Keep your fingers crossed.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | E 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
55 | 35 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 139 | 193 | 112 | 140 | 63 | 125 | 117 | 40 | 44 | 62 | 93 | 82 | 68 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross | glassy | cross | off |
High Tide | 8:37PM1.72m | 9:19AM1.29m | 9:21PM1.63m | 10:01AM1.32m | 10:04PM1.51m | 10:42AM1.34m | 10:47PM1.35m | 11:24AM1.34m | 11:31PM1.20m | 12:07PM1.32m | 00:18AM1.05m | 12:56PM1.29m | 1:14AM0.93m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:14PM0.20m | 3:15AM-0.02m | 3:03PM0.20m | 3:53AM0.03m | 3:52PM0.23m | 4:29AM0.10m | 4:42PM0.28m | 5:04AM0.20m | 5:34PM0.35m | 5:39AM0.29m | 6:30PM0.42m | 6:15AM0.39m | 7:35PM0.47m | ||||||||
6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | S 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 18 | S 17 | S 11 | S 10 | E 6 | S 9 | S 8 | SE 6 | SE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 |
257 | 383 | 116 | 142 | 106 | 173 | 17 | 17 | 97 | 92 | 199 | 138 | 63 | 73 | 35 | 40 | 44 | 62 | 93 | 82 | 68 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | S 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | S 19 | S 18 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 9 | ENE 8 | S 12 | ENE 6 | E 6 | S 10 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 |
55 | 35 | 51 | 31 | 31 | 17 | 29 | 58 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 10 | 80 | 23 | 24 | 35 | 24 | 29 | 19 | 12 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | S 19 | ENE 9 | S 19 | S 15 | SE 9 | SE 8 | S 14 | — | — | S 18 | S 17 | SE 7 | SSW 12 | ENE 9 | S 11 | S 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | SE 8 |
5 | 7 | 29 | 28 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 4 | — | — | 55 | 23 | 37 | 30 | 16 | 57 | 55 | 24 | 19 | 8 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 3 | W 3 | — | — | S 8 | S 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | — | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | — | — | — | — | ENE 6 | — |
— | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 318 | 343 | 139 | 193 | 112 | 140 | — | 125 | 117 | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 89 | 1 | 1 | 128 | 1 | 65 | 121 | 50 | 50 | 13 | 100 | 38 | 100 | 103 | 7 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Little Austi and Main Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Little Austi and Main Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Little Austi and Main Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Little Austi and Main 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 (Little Austi and Main 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 Little Austi and Main 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 Illawarra? If you are looking for accommodation near Little Austi and Main Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Illawarra, consider staying in Wollongong which is 15 km (9 miles) away. Other places in and around Illawarra where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Port Kembla which is 22 km (14 miles) away, Engadine, Caringbah and Cronulla.











