
Surf Forecasts:
Little Austi and Main Beach surf forecast from 27 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 14s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 14s period, SSE swell with 1,247 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 1 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period with SSE 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 Saturday (Aug 01) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 15s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Little Austi and Main Beach in the next 16 days are 1.8m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Little Austi and Main Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve had a good look at what’s comin’ for Little Austi and Main Beach. Straight up, we’ve got a bit of a flat spell to start, so don’t rush to wax up just yet.
The first few days are a write-off, sorry. From Tuesday the 28th through to Friday the 31st of July, we’re lookin’ at tiny, weak dribble – swell heights barely 0.3 ft to 1 ft, with periods all over the place and poor conditions. The wind’s mostly cross-off or cross-on, but there’s just no energy to work with. The combined swell energy is well under 100 (like 9, 15, 4, 7), so it’s a total snooze fest. Saturday the 1st of August stays poor through the morning, but the afternoon brings a little pulse – 4 ft from the SSE, 9 seconds, with a combined energy of 315 (moderate). Wind’s light cross-on, but with rain showers, it’s still only marginal. The water temp is 65°F here, which is about 2°F warmer than average for this time of year – nothin’ wild, just a touch on the mild side.
Now, Sunday the 2nd of August is where it gets interesting. That’s our first true standout. We’ve got a solid 6 ft SSE groundswell in the morning, comin’ in at 13 seconds – that’s proper long-period energy – and the combined swell energy jumps to 967 (strong). The wind is offshore from the NNW at 6 mph, so it’s gonna be clean as a whistle. The afternoon holds up with 5 ft, 12 seconds, and a cross-off breeze from the WSW at 9 mph. This is a beach and reef setup, so that long-period swell might break a bit straight on the beach, but the reef sections could really shine. Wave height is over 5 ft, so it’s not for beginners, but intermediate surfers should have a blast. The crowd here is “sometimes” – you might find a few out, but it’s worth it.
Monday the 3rd of August turns ugly again – the wind swings strong cross-on from the SSW at 19 mph, and the swell drops to 3 ft but gets all chopped up. Not worth it. The rest of that week stays average with onshore winds and lumpy conditions, even though there’s a big spike in swell size on the 5th and 6th of August – 10 ft and 8 ft from the SSE. Those are expert-only waves, but the wind is cross-on and strong, so it’s messy and honestly more for kite surfers than paddle. The combined energy hits 1381 (very strong) on the 5th, but it’s just not clean.
Friday the 7th of August is another standout. We get 6 ft from the SE, 8 seconds, with glassy conditions – wind is nearly dead from the SW at 3 mph. The water goes glassy, and the combined energy is 490 (moderate). This is a solid, fun size for a beach and reef, but the period is short (under 8 seconds), so the waves might be a bit lumpy and close together. It’s clean, though, so get out there early. The next day, Saturday the 8th, has a morning window with offshore NNW wind at 6 mph and 4 ft from the ENE, 8 seconds, but the afternoon gets cross-shore and messy.
Looking further out, the second week has some promising calls. On Monday the 10th of August, we’ve got offshore NW wind at 3 mph with 4 ft ENE swell, 10 seconds, and combined energy of 394 (moderate). Clean and fun. Then Tuesday the 11th of August looks like a real belter – 7 ft from the ENE, 11 seconds in the morning, with north-northwest offshore wind at 3 mph. Combined energy hits 959 (strong). That’s solid, clean, and the swell direction matches the optimum ENE. The afternoon pushes 7 ft at 12 seconds, but the wind turns cross, so morning is the pick. Wednesday the 12th of August holds up with 5 ft, 12 seconds, and offshore NNW wind – another clean session with combined energy of 683 (strong). This is a long-period groundswell, so it’ll be better on the reef sections than the beach.
Overall, the best on offer is Sunday the 2nd of August and Tuesday the 11th of August. Both have solid swell, good wind, and strong energy. The rest of the run has some windows, but those two are the standouts. Don’t hold your breath for the first week – it’s a slow start, but it builds nicely.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue afternoon, fresh winds from the WSW by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Sat morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | N 4 | SE 13 | SW 5 | ENE 6 | E 12 | S 11 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 19 | SSE 9 | SSE 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | E 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 85 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 232 | 656 | 943 | 692 | 443 | 215 | 111 | 17 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 7:32PM1.52m | 8:13AM1.04m | 8:08PM1.55m | 8:49AM1.08m | 8:44PM1.56m | 9:25AM1.12m | 9:19PM1.53m | 10:01AM1.17m | 9:54PM1.48m | 10:38AM1.21m | 10:31PM1.41m | 11:18AM1.25m | 11:13PM1.31m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:58PM0.40m | 2:20AM0.20m | 1:39PM0.36m | 2:54AM0.16m | 2:18PM0.34m | 3:26AM0.14m | 2:57PM0.34m | 3:57AM0.13m | 3:38PM0.35m | 4:29AM0.14m | 4:22PM0.36m | 5:02AM0.16m | 5:11PM0.39m | ||||||||
6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | |
— | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 20 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 15 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 9 | S 8 | N 4 | — | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | E 15 |
25 | 14 | 6 | 4 | — | 10 | 455 | 349 | 1172 | 710 | 660 | 529 | 318 | 232 | 656 | 943 | 692 | 443 | 215 | 111 | 17 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | WSW 4 | S 17 | S 15 | NE 7 | S 12 | NE 6 | — | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SSE 14 | SSE 9 | E 17 | S 23 | NE 4 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 9 |
8 | 7 | 1 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 150 | 2 | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 78 | 222 | 24 | 40 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 4 | SE 15 | SE 6 | S 7 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ENE 6 | E 12 | — | — | — | E 12 | E 19 | ENE 7 | E 18 | S 22 | E 17 | NE 8 | E 16 | E 16 | S 18 |
1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 19 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 2 | NNE 3 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | SW 4 | SW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | N 3 | NE 4 | WSW 3 | S 6 | S 7 | S 8 |
1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 8 | 13 | 4 | 51 | 439 | 1014 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 68 | 65 | 210 | 345 | 345 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 89 | 1 | 5 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 121 | 50 | 76 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










