
Surf Forecasts:
Nobbys Reef surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, S swell with 2,946 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period with S 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 1.1m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Nobbys Reef in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nobbys Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's shaping up for us. We're looking at a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, with only a few real windows of opportunity. The first proper surf worth paddling out for is on Sunday morning, the 13th.
Let's start with that Sunday morning session. It's a bit of a standout in the near term. Nobbys Reef is showing clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze. The swell is coming in from the SSE at a manageable 3 ft, with a period of 9 seconds, giving the water some decent shape. The combined swell energy is moderate at 206, so there's a bit of push behind it. The water temp is sitting at 65°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. It’s an exposed reef break, and it can be inconsistent here, but for an advanced surfer, this morning window looks like the best bet early on.
Sunday afternoon turns ugly real quick as the wind swings ENE and cranks up to 19 mph, making it a lumpy, cross-shore mess. Not worth it.
Monday morning, the 14th, is another clean morning with light winds, but the swell has dropped to a weak 2 ft from the south with a moderate 12-second period. The energy is down to 158, so it's surfable but very ordinary. Tuesday morning the 15th sees a tiny 1 ft SSE swell with light offshore winds, but there's hardly any energy behind it (45), so you'd be fighting for scraps.
We then hit a long gap of poor conditions and strong winds. Wednesday the 16th has a massive jump in swell, hitting 8 ft on Wednesday morning and 12 ft by the afternoon, but it's accompanied by strong onshore winds. The combined energy is massive (1211 and 2825 respectively), but it's a chunky, lumpy beast, way too big and messy for this reef. Thursday the 17th is even worse, with 12 ft swell and cross-onshore winds, and the energy is cranked up to 4050. The model even says it's too big for this break, so only a total nutter on a jet ski would be out there.
We finally see another clean window on Friday morning, the 18th. A light offshore wind from the NW and a 4 ft south swell with a period of 9 seconds. The energy is a solid moderate 353. This is another good option, with clean conditions.
Saturday morning the 19th looks just as promising, with a clean offshore wind again and a 3 ft swell from the SE, but this one has a long 11-second period, giving it some proper push and shape. The energy is 387. This is a real standout in the second part of the forecast. The long period does mean it might be a bit straight for a beach break, but here at a reef, it should set up nicely.
After that, we drop back into small, weak surf for several days. The 20th has tiny 1 ft waves with offshore winds, but the energy is pathetic (61 and 43). Monday the 21st sees the swell jump again to 8 ft, but it's cross-onshore and choppy, a complete write-off. There's another clean shot on Tuesday morning the 22nd with a 4 ft SSE swell and light offshore wind (energy 237), which is okay but nothing special.
The final week from the 23rd onwards looks pretty grim. Persistent onshore winds and small, weak swell dominate. There's a spike on Monday the 28th with a 7 ft S swell and a 11-second period, with light cross-onshore winds, but it's just not clean enough to get excited about.
So, to sum it up: Sunday morning the 13th and Friday morning the 18th are your best early bets. The standout of the whole outlook, however, is Saturday morning the 19th with its clean offshore wind and that nice long-period groundswell. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The rest of the time? A lot of waiting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Sun morning, strong winds from the SSW by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Wed morning, light winds from the NW by Fri morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 12 | S 11 | NE 6 | SSE 10 | ESE 4 | S 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 9 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
115 | 143 | 100 | 132 | 85 | 75 | 31 | 16 | 483 | 1198 | 2825 | 2572 | 2269 | 1287 | 631 | 215 | 210 | 248 | 198 | 99 | 56 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 9:47PM1.46m | 10:10AM1.53m | 10:25PM1.32m | 10:48AM1.50m | 11:03PM1.19m | 11:27AM1.46m | 11:44PM1.07m | 12:11PM1.41m | 00:35AM0.98m | 1:02PM1.36m | 1:45AM0.92m | 2:03PM1.34m | 3:16AM0.92m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:43PM0.24m | 3:53AM0.24m | 4:26PM0.31m | 4:24AM0.32m | 5:12PM0.39m | 4:55AM0.41m | 6:01PM0.48m | 5:28AM0.51m | 6:59PM0.55m | 6:08AM0.59m | 8:08PM0.59m | 7:03AM0.67m | 9:25PM0.58m | ||||||||
5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | |
— | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 17 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 24 | 23 | 20 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | S 11 | ENE 6 | S 12 | S 11 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | S 9 | ENE 7 | E 14 | — | E 13 | S 10 | S 19 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SE 11 | SE 9 | ESE 9 |
115 | 143 | 42 | 132 | 85 | 34 | 11 | 15 | 5 | 4 | — | 3 | 1778 | 7 | 631 | 215 | 210 | 184 | 198 | 97 | 53 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | SSE 17 | S 10 | ENE 6 | E 12 | S 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 7 | E 14 | E 14 | — | — | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 |
8 | 29 | 100 | 13 | 3 | 51 | 31 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 132 | 27 | 248 | 99 | 56 | 56 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 18 | ENE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 10 | E 12 | E 13 | E 14 | — | S 15 | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | ENE 4 |
61 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 31 | 101 | 90 | 99 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 5 | ENE 4 | NE 6 | — | ENE 4 | NE 6 | — | ESE 4 | S 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | — | — | ESE 8 | NNE 3 | WNW 2 | ENE 2 | — |
22 | 52 | 95 | — | 14 | 75 | — | 16 | 483 | 1198 | 2825 | 2572 | 2269 | 1287 | — | — | 103 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 276 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 179 | 739 | 831 | 241 | 212 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 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 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.










