Surf Forecasts:
Nobbys Reef surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, ESE swell with 197 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Nobbys Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Nobbys Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Nobbys Reef in the next 16 days are 1.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nobbys Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s in the water.
First off, Nobbys Reef is the only spot on the radar. It’s an advanced reef break that doesn’t break all that often, and right now the water’s sitting at 63°F – a touch colder than average for this time of year, so grab a thicker suit.
The next few days are flat and ugly. Tiny swell, short period, and the wind’s blowing onshore from the east. Wave energy is in the moderate range (170-227), but the quality’s poor. Don’t bother.
Wednesday, August 19th is the first little window. Early morning is glassy with 2ft of ESE swell at 10 seconds. The energy’s 201, so there’s some life, but it’s small. Clean, but you’ll be scratching for waves.
Then it dries up again. A few clean moments on the 20th and 23rd mornings – the 23rd brings glassy conditions with a very long-period SSE swell (16 seconds, 78 energy), but the wave height is barely 1ft. That groundswell will make it walled and straight on the reef, so not the best setup.
Monday, August 24th looks better for the patient surfer. Offshore NW winds, 1ft of SSE swell (17 seconds, 116 energy) in the morning, building to 2ft from the south by afternoon with a clean offshore breeze (135 energy). The swell’s tiny, but the period is long and conditions will be clean. A log or mid-length will be your friend.
Tuesday, August 25th jumps to 5ft from the south, but a fresh 30 km/h cross-shore wind chops it up. The energy is 295, but the wind makes it messy. Not worth it.
The standout – the one to really get excited about – is Sunday, August 30th. The morning brings 6ft of S swell at 10 seconds, with just a light cross-onshore breeze. The energy hits 659 – that’s strong, powerful wave energy. It’s too big for beginners, but for the advanced crew on the reef, this is the best session of the whole outlook. The wind is light enough to keep things clean, and that size will have some push. It’s a little south of the ideal SE direction, but with energy like that, you’ll still find good ones.
After that, it drops off fast into September with small, weak swells and onshore winds.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | S 5 | ENE 6 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | S 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 117 | 96 | 136 | 124 | 111 | 103 | 92 | 196 | 147 | 54 | 47 | 28 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 51 | 47 | 35 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | on | glassy | glassy | cross | off |
High Tide | 11:30AM1.42m | 11:35PM1.30m | 12:12PM1.39m | 00:16AM1.16m | 12:59PM1.36m | 1:04AM1.03m | 1:52PM1.34m | 2:06AM0.94m | 2:52PM1.35m | 3:30AM0.91m | 3:55PM1.38m | 4:54AM0.95m | 4:52PM1.43m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:38PM0.44m | 5:46AM0.37m | 6:30PM0.53m | 6:20AM0.46m | 7:31PM0.60m | 6:59AM0.54m | 8:45PM0.63m | 7:47AM0.60m | 10:07PM0.62m | 8:49AM0.64m | 11:13PM0.55m | 9:57AM0.64m | 11:59PM0.47m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | S 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | S 9 | S 8 | S 11 |
| kJ | 117 | 96 | 35 | 34 | 111 | 103 | 84 | 196 | 147 | 54 | 47 | 28 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 33 | 35 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | S 9 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | SE 7 | S 12 | SE 7 | ENE 6 | S 5 | S 4 | S 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 15 | S 6 |
| kJ | 81 | 78 | 25 | 10 | 55 | 85 | 92 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 47 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SSW 13 | ESE 11 | E 9 | SE 14 | S 10 | S 9 | — | — | — | S 14 | E 10 | E 9 | — | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 9 | S 6 | SSE 16 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 21 | 53 | 12 | 2 | 47 | 30 | 25 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 51 | 15 | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | — | — | — | ENE 3 | NNE 3 | — | ENE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 136 | 124 | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 44 | 44 | 81 | 107 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 23 | 146 | 92 | 164 | 174 | 92 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Nobbys Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Nobbys Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Nobbys Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Nobbys Reef 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 (Nobbys Reef) 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 Nobbys Reef 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 Nobbys Reef, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Newcastle, consider staying in Newcastle which is 3 km (2 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 31 km (19 miles) away, Port Stephens, Cessnock and Central Coast.
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