Saltwater Surf Break

Lat Long: 32.01° S 152.57° E

Saltwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 pm 20 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Saltwater sea temperature is
19.5° C
0.4° 

Saltwater surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Saltwater surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 14s period, SSE swell with 1,491 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period with E swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Saltwater this week:

The surf forecast for Saltwater over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Saltwater in the next 16 days are 1.9m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 7PM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Tue 21st Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 10s
Best Surf 4PM (Fri 24th Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 10s
Most Powerful 7AM (Sat 25th Jul)6ft (1.9m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Saltwater over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here, bringing you the full 16-day outlook for Saltwater. It’s a bit of a slow start, but this point break has a nice solid run of surf building through the back half of the week and into the next, with a few proper standouts if you’re patient.

Right now, Monday afternoon (20 July) is a bit of a write-off with a 6 ft E swell at 10 seconds and cross-shore breeze, making for a messy, rippled surface. The combined energy is moderate at 951, but it’s just not clean. We’ve got a few days of small, ordinary surf ahead before the real fun kicks in.

Tuesday morning (21 July) is a hidden gem for the early birds – glassy conditions with a 5 ft E swell at 10 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (489) and it’s clean, so you’ll get some fun little waves. The water temp is sitting at 67°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Wednesday (22 July) morning is also glassy, but the swell drops to 4 ft from the ENE at 10 seconds with energy down to 279. It’s surfable and clean, but nothing to get too excited about. Thursday (23 July) sees the swell bottom out around 2 ft, with offshore winds in the morning, but the energy is weak (97). Things are looking a bit flat.

Then we finally get a proper pulse. Friday morning (24 July) sees a 6 ft SSW swell at 8 seconds with a clean offshore breeze from the SW. The combined energy jumps to 623 (moderate) and it’s looking really good. But the standout is Friday afternoon: a 7 ft S swell at 10 seconds, cross-offshore wind, and a combined energy of 1320 (strong) – this is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The tide might be a factor, so check your local charts.

Saturday (25 July) is the pick of the first week. Morning brings a 6 ft S swell at 13 seconds (a proper groundswell) with light cross-offshore winds and strong energy at 1108. That long period will make for some nice, well-shaped lines at the point, though it may break a bit straight at the beach. The afternoon cleans up even more with offshore winds, 5 ft S swell at 12 seconds, and energy at 646. This is a top session.

Sunday morning (26 July) holds on with 5 ft S swell at 12 seconds and clean cross-offshore winds – still very good. The energy is moderate (640), and the point will be handling it well. The afternoon gets a bit cross-shore and choppy, so stick to the morning.

Monday (27 July) through Tuesday (28 July) sees the surf fade, with energy dropping to around 88 by Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday (29 July) is mostly flat, with a tiny 0.7 ft SSE swell at 17 seconds and energy of just 43 – not worth paddling out.

But then we get another big one. Thursday morning (30 July) brings a 5 ft S swell at 11 seconds, light cross-offshore wind, and strong energy of 1025 – excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon jumps to 6 ft S at 10 seconds with cross-onshore wind, so morning is the clear winner here.

Friday (31 July) morning is still very good: 5 ft S swell at 11 seconds, light cross-offshore wind, moderate energy at 517. The afternoon has offshore winds and a smaller 4 ft S swell – clean and fun.

The first weekend of August (Saturday 1st) is small but clean, with 4 ft S swells and light winds. Nothing huge, but you’ll get a few.

Now, mark your calendar for Tuesday morning (4 August). That’s the big one. A 10 ft SSE swell at 11 seconds, light cross-offshore wind, and a combined energy of 2024 – that’s very strong. This is expert-only territory, mate. The point will handle it beautifully, but it’s a powerful, heavy swell. The afternoon stays excellent with 8 ft SSE at 11 seconds and energy of 2132. This is your standout session of the whole outlook.

Keep in mind, crowds are possible at Saltwater, especially on those standout days. And the long-period swells (17 seconds on the 29th, 14 seconds on the 2nd) are better suited to the point than the beach.

So, in short: the best on offer is Friday afternoon (24 July) and Tuesday morning (4 August). The latter is a proper bomb, but only for the experienced. The 25th and 30th are also top-tier mornings.

Rusty, signing off.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Mon
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
2
0
1
2
1
1
1
1
0
3
4
4
4
3
2
3
1
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.9
E
10
1.7
E
10
1.4
E
10
1.3
E
10
1.2
ENE
10
1.1
ENE
10
1
ENE
9
0.9
ENE
9
0.9
ENE
9
0.7
ENE
9
0.6
ENE
8
1.7
SSW
8
2
S
10
1.6
S
11
1.8
S
13
1.5
S
12
1.3
S
12
1.5
S
12
1.4
S
11
1.3
S
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
789
575
384
326
271
230
185
146
113
80
54
344
745
643
1087
625
464
628
476
340
Wind (km/h)
5
ESE
10
WNW
5
NW
15
E
10
NNW
5
WNW
10
ESE
10
WNW
5
SW
5
SSE
25
SW
15
SW
15
S
10
WNW
10
W
10
SSW
15
WSW
10
WSW
10
SE
10
WNW
Wind State
cross
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
High Tide
00:38AM1.20m
1:45PM1.27m
1:30AM1.05m
2:43PM1.29m
2:32AM0.94m
3:42PM1.31m
3:46AM0.88m
4:39PM1.34m
4:57AM0.88m
5:30PM1.39m
5:55AM0.92m
6:16PM1.46m
Low Tide
6:48PM0.48m
7:04AM0.26m
7:57PM0.55m
7:47AM0.34m
9:14PM0.57m
8:36AM0.39m
10:31PM0.54m
9:33AM0.43m
11:35PM0.49m
10:31AM0.43m
00:25AM0.42m
11:26AM0.41m
1:06AM0.35m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:46
6:45
6:45
6:43
6:43
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:05
5:06
5:06
5:07
5:07
5:07
5:08
 mm
Temp °C
16
15
17
17
16
19
18
16
19
19
15
13
14
11
17
18
15
17
16
14
Feels °C
15
15
15
15
15
18
16
14
17
17
9
9
10
8
13
14
12
15
13
12
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Saltwater:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Saltwater surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Saltwater Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Saltwater provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Saltwater can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Saltwater 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 (Saltwater) 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 Saltwater 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.

Saltwater is 15 km (9 miles) from Taree. If you plan a holiday in Port Macquarie, look for hotels and other accommodation in Taree. Taree has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest