
Surf Forecasts:
Nobbys Reef surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, SSW swell with 1,038 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 9s period with SSE 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 Friday (Aug 07) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. 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 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nobbys Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. This stretch of coast is in for a long, slow grind of small, weak surf. We’re looking at a solid run of days where the energy is just too low and the direction is all wrong for Nobbys Reef. You’re staring down several days of nothing worth getting wet for, just a lot of whitewater and closeouts. It’s going to feel like a long dry spell before anything with a pulse shows up.
The first real flicker of hope arrives on Thursday the 13th. We see a bump in size, but it’s a messy one. A 8.2ft SSW swell rolls in, but it’s crossed up with a fresh cross-shore wind, making for lumpy, poor conditions. That’s not a surfer’s wave, it’s a washing machine. Not worth the hassle.
Then, things finally start to click. Friday morning, August 14th is the standout. We get a 6.2ft S swell with an 11-second period, and the wind is light offshore out of the WNW (15 km/h). This is the one. The energy is pumping, and the conditions are described as very good. Nobbys Reef will have some proper shape and push to it. It’s an advanced wave, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. This is a classic groundswell for the reef, and with that light offshore, it’s going to be clean and hollow. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s more than a week out, so don’t take it to the bank just yet, but it’s got all the makings of a proper session.
Saturday the 15th rolls in with a drop to 4.3ft and the wind turning onshore, so that window closes quickly. After that, it’s another slide back into the doldrums. The following week is a wasteland of small, short-period slop with cross-onshore breezes. There’s a glassy moment on Friday the 21st, but the swell is only 2.3ft with barely any energy. It's a knee-high dribble at best.
So, to sum it up: there’s one solid standout on the 14th. It’s a long way off, but it’s the only real chance at something memorable. Before that, it’s mostly a waiting game. The water temp is 63.9°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so the wetsuit thickness stays as normal.
Keep the faith, but don’t hold your breath until that 14th.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the NW by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Mon afternoon, light winds from the NW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | ENE 10 | SW 8 | SSW 9 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
56 | 88 | 49 | 32 | 44 | 60 | 108 | 106 | 190 | 119 | 64 | 27 | 28 | 67 | 38 | 79 | 48 | 31 | 192 | 1038 | 730 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:00PM1.52m | 3:41AM1.07m | 4:12PM1.60m | 5:05AM1.09m | 5:19PM1.69m | 6:15AM1.16m | 6:20PM1.79m | 7:11AM1.24m | 7:13PM1.85m | 7:59AM1.33m | 8:03PM1.87m | 8:44AM1.39m | 8:49PM1.83m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:54PM0.46m | 9:20AM0.49m | 11:13PM0.37m | 10:32AM0.48m | 00:18AM0.26m | 11:40AM0.43m | 1:11AM0.16m | 12:41PM0.36m | 1:58AM0.10m | 1:36PM0.30m | 2:42AM0.06m | 2:27PM0.26m | 3:22AM0.07m | ||||||||
6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 9 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 9 | S 10 |
56 | 88 | 49 | 28 | 44 | 60 | 108 | 106 | 190 | 119 | 64 | 27 | 28 | 67 | 38 | 79 | 45 | 31 | 9 | 417 | 730 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | E 8 | E 7 | SSE 9 | E 8 | S 7 | S 6 | SSE 8 | S 8 | S 13 | E 13 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | E 10 | S 8 | — | ENE 10 | E 10 |
38 | 21 | 16 | 32 | 34 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 48 | 12 | — | 10 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 17 | S 8 | ENE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | S 6 | E 14 | — | S 13 | E 13 | — | S 12 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | S 16 | S 18 |
20 | 6 | 21 | 9 | 32 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 4 | — | 3 | 4 | — | 3 | 25 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 2 | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | — | NW 3 | NW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | NW 3 | NNW 3 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | NW 4 | SW 8 | SSW 9 | WNW 3 |
1 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 19 | — | 3 | 49 | 71 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 21 | 37 | 73 | 192 | 1038 | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 75 | 81 | 58 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 107 | 164 | 42 | 92 | 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.











