
Surf Forecasts:
Little Austi and Main Beach surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, SSE swell with 560 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with ESE 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 (Sep 08) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Little Austi and Main Beach in the next 16 days are 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 10s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Little Austi and Main Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Little Austi and Main Beach.
Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, this is a tough stretch. There’s a big gap of almost nothing at the start. We’re talking about days with waves so small they’re barely a ripple. Tuesday the 8th has a tiny 0.7ft easterly swell with a long 11-second period, but the wind is messy and cross-onshore, so it’s a no-go. The afternoon sees a bit of a pulse jump to 7ft from the SSE, but the energy is high (559) and the wind is onshore, making it a choppy, marginal mess. That’s not worth paddling out for.
From Wednesday the 9th right through to Saturday the 12th, it’s all poor surf. Swell sizes are tiny, mostly 0.7ft to 1.0ft, and the wind is either cross-on or straight onshore. The surf is just a total write-off. The combined energy readings are all in the double digits, which is weak, weak, weak.
The pattern only starts to show a little life on Sunday the 13th. The morning stays clean with a light north breeze, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft with a short 5-second period. By the afternoon, there’s a 3ft swell from the NE, but the period is a super short 4 seconds. The wind is cross-off and clean, and the energy is a weak 64. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The best chance of a clean wave in this whole period might be Monday the 14th afternoon. The swell is 3ft from the NE, still short period, but the wind goes glassy at only 3 mph. The water is clean, but the waves are small and weak. The combined energy is a measly 38.
After that, we get a few more days of poor surf peppered with tiny, short-period pulses. The wind is often clean, but there just isn’t any swell to work with. The water temperature anomaly is about average for this time of year, so no worries on that front.
The only slight glimmer of hope comes around Friday the 18th afternoon. We get a 3ft SSE swell with a 10-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 245. That’s moderate energy. The wind is a light cross-shore, which is okay, but the conditions are still described as marginal. Saturday the 19th morning could be your best bet, with a 3ft SSE swell, a 9-second period, and a moderate offshore wind from the NNW keeping it clean. The energy is 132, which is moderate. It’s still just surfable, very ordinary conditions.
For the second week, it’s more of the same: small waves, clean winds, but nothing that gets the heart racing. The 3ft NE swell on the 23rd with a 6-second period is about as good as it gets, and that’s saying something.
The wind is mostly cross-off or glassy on the mornings, so the conditions will be clean, but the swell is just too small and weak to offer any real power. The break is a beach and reef setup, and with the long stretches of poor surf, I’d say this is one of those times where the forecast can change, but as it stands, it’s a flat spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Tue afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Wed afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | ||||||||||||||
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 11 | E 11 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 13 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ENE 15 | E 15 | ENE 14 | SSE 10 | ENE 14 | ENE 14 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 4 | NE 5 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | 9 | 549 | 69 | 50 | 34 | 41 | 19 | 8 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 502 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 9 | 29 | 28 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | on | off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 5:58AM1.09m | 5:56PM1.59m | 6:46AM1.18m | 6:46PM1.62m | 7:28AM1.27m | 7:32PM1.61m | 8:08AM1.35m | 8:15PM1.56m | 8:46AM1.41m | 8:57PM1.46m | 9:23AM1.44m | 9:37PM1.35m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:54PM0.14m | 11:28AM0.35m | 00:42AM0.07m | 12:24PM0.27m | 1:23AM0.03m | 1:15PM0.21m | 2:01AM0.03m | 2:02PM0.17m | 2:37AM0.06m | 2:48PM0.16m | 3:10AM0.12m | 3:33PM0.18m | 3:42AM0.20m | ||||||
— | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 24 | 22 | 17 |
Feels °C | 8 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 19 | 18 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 11 | E 11 | SSE 8 | S 9 | S 8 | ESE 13 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | S 21 | ENE 15 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 13 |
11 | 9 | 549 | 247 | 108 | 34 | 41 | 19 | 320 | 21 | 964 | 639 | 502 | 563 | 367 | 188 | 151 | 158 | 268 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 10 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ENE 9 | SSW 16 | S 23 | ESE 9 | S 22 | E 15 | ENE 14 | ENE 13 | S 18 | S 17 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | ENE 13 | NE 5 |
— | — | 8 | 69 | 50 | 8 | 51 | 92 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 59 | 90 | 23 | 9 | 17 | 28 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 9 | E 10 | ENE 9 | S 21 | — | E 16 | E 16 | ENE 15 | E 10 | ENE 14 | E 9 | ENE 14 | ENE 14 | S 20 | S 18 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 |
— | — | 2 | 8 | 8 | 9 | — | 5 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 19 | 20 | 274 | 54 | 18 | 17 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSE 8 | — | NW 3 | SW 3 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | ENE 3 | NNE 5 | — | NE 4 | — |
1604 | 766 | — | 2 | 9 | 1448 | 2498 | 2050 | 1854 | 1569 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 37 | — | 29 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 121 | 41 | 34 | 0 | 7 | 726 | 7 | 121 | 297 | 2 | 5 | 72 | 0 | 1 | 92 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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.










