Surf Forecasts:
Newcastle Beach surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 11s period, S swell with 317 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Newcastle Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Newcastle Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 3s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Newcastle Beach in the next 16 days are 1.2m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) 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 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Newcastle Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you—this Newcastle stretch is in for a real mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. There’s some half-decent windows, but you’ll be picking your moments. The first few days are pretty grim, then we get a couple of quality morning sessions that’ll make it worthwhile. A big pulse of swell hits in the second week, but it’s far too meaty for this spot. Let’s run through it.
Newcastle Beach kicks things off, but honestly, Monday the 31st of August is a write-off. The odds are against you. The following Tuesday morning and afternoon, the 1st of September, we see small 2ft south swell, period around 11 seconds – okay shape – but the wind is cross-offshore and the energy is moderate (190 to 180). It’s surfable but nothing to get excited about.
Wednesday the 2nd holds similar small swell (2ft) but the wind goes strong offshore from the northwest (15 mph). The energy drops to weak (96 to 100). You’ll get clean, choppy lines, but it’s just too weak and ordinary. Thursday the 3rd is more of the same, small and offshore, energy dropping to 85. Not worth the paddle.
Now here’s the first real highlight. Friday morning the 4th of September. It’s glassy, dead calm wind, pushing a clean 3ft south swell with an 11-second period. The energy builds to moderate (265). That’s a solid, clean little session. Get on it early. The afternoon goes downhill with a strong cross-onshore ENE breeze, so that morning window is your golden ticket.
Saturday the 5th is small again, 2ft, but with a clean offshore wind from the WNW. The energy is moderate (102). Good for a longboard or a foiler, but not a standout.
Then Sunday morning the 6th of September – another beauty. Glassy calm, 3ft south swell with a 12-second period, and healthy energy at (251). Clean lines, no wind. That’s another quality window.
Monday the 7th of September keeps the momentum. A clean 2ft south swell with a cross-offshore NNE breeze, energy at (209). It’s solid enough for a weekday session.
Then we hit a lull. The rest of that week is choppy, onshore, and messy. Nothing worth chasing for a few days.
Now, hold onto your board. Wednesday the 9th of September – we get a massive pulse. South swell at a massive 16ft with 11-second period. The energy is extreme (5574). But honestly, that’s way too much for Newcastle Beach. This spot just can’t handle that size. The wind is light and the tide is okay, but the swell is well over 8ft, so expert-only stuff, and even then, it’s likely to be a washing machine. Keep away.
Thursday the 10th of September still has 13ft to 15ft swell. Energy at (4535 to 2806). Again, too big. Not for paddle surfing.
Friday the 11th of September, the swell drops to a still-chunky 8ft from the ESE with a 9-second period. Early morning is glassy, and the energy is strong (923). That’s the pick of the second week. It’s going to be big but clean, with that long period south swell meaning better shape at a beach break? Actually, long period swells like that (12 seconds, not quite 15, but still long) tend to break too straight on beachies. So this spot might be a bit tricky. That said, for experienced surfers, it’s worth a look.
The weekend dwindles. Saturday the 12th has 5ft swell, but a cross-onshore ENE breeze makes it choppy. Sunday the 13th is tiny, 3ft, glassy early but weak energy (140). Then the last few days, from the 14th to the 15th, are all under 2ft with onshore wind and pathetic energy (38 to 56). Not worth it.
Overall, the real standouts are Friday morning the 4th of September and Sunday morning the 6th of September. Clean, glassy, knee-to-waist high, well-shaped. If you can sneak out mid-week, that Monday the 7th is also solid. The second week has that huge swell on the 11th, but it’s for experts only.
The water temp at Newcastle Beach is 65°F, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so nothing weird there.
Crowds at Newcastle Beach? They’re often there, so expect company on those good mornings. And note, this break is very consistent, so when the swell’s on, it’s on.
For the big swell on the 9th and 10th, honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Too big and messy for a stick.
Alright, stay sharp and pick your windows.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sat afternoon, calm by Sun morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 6 | S 11 | S 9 | S 12 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 | S 9 | S 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
111 | 110 | 94 | 151 | 108 | 74 | 80 | 50 | 50 | 52 | 25 | 246 | 111 | 69 | 92 | 57 | 25 | 233 | 210 | 63 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | off | off | off | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:13PM1.48m | 10:43AM1.51m | 10:58PM1.36m | 11:28AM1.51m | 11:50PM1.23m | 12:22PM1.51m | 00:54AM1.12m | 1:26PM1.51m | 2:14AM1.04m | 2:41PM1.52m | 3:47AM1.04m | 3:58PM1.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:07PM0.29m | 4:25AM0.23m | 4:56PM0.32m | 5:03AM0.31m | 5:53PM0.37m | 5:47AM0.39m | 7:02PM0.42m | 6:42AM0.47m | 8:22PM0.44m | 7:51AM0.54m | 9:49PM0.40m | 9:11AM0.55m | 11:04PM0.32m | |||||||
— | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 26 | 24 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 6 | S 11 | S 9 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 | S 9 | S 8 |
111 | 110 | 74 | 151 | 108 | 74 | 80 | 50 | 50 | 52 | 25 | 246 | 111 | 46 | 92 | 57 | 25 | 233 | 210 | 63 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | S 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 5 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 10 | S 18 | S 12 | E 9 | E 9 | E 11 | S 5 | S 20 | SSE 15 |
75 | 77 | 94 | 22 | 9 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 6 | 69 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 46 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | E 9 | ENE 11 | NE 12 | ENE 10 | ENE 6 | NE 5 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 20 | ENE 10 | NNE 7 | N 10 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
16 | 13 | 22 | 6 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 3 | — | NE 3 | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | W 3 | — | E 10 | NW 3 | — | NW 3 | WSW 2 | — | E 3 | ENE 5 |
— | 2 | — | 1 | — | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 47 | 1 | — | 11 | 1 | — | 7 | 25 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 223 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 21 | 0 | 79 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Newcastle Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Newcastle Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Newcastle Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Newcastle 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 (Newcastle 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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle? If you are looking for accommodation near Newcastle Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Newcastle, consider staying in Newcastle which is 2 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around Newcastle where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Catherine Hill Bay which is 30 km (19 miles) away, Port Stephens, Cessnock and Central Coast.











