Sawtell-The Island Surf Break

Lat Long: 30.37° S 153.11° E

Sawtell-The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 am 18 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Sawtell-The Island sea temperature is
19.6° C
0.5° 

Sawtell-The Island surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Sawtell-The Island surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, ESE swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, ESE swell with 3,244 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period with ESE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Sawtell-The Island this week:

The surf forecast for Sawtell-The Island over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 3.5m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 21s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Sawtell-The Island in the next 16 days are 4.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Sat 18th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 11s
Best Surf10PM (Sat 18th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 11s
Most Powerful10PM (Sat 18th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sawtell-The Island over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the next 16 days for our local stretch. The first week’s got some serious size, but it’s all about pickin’ the right windows. We’ve got one spot that’s the clear standout for a proper session, but we’ll work through the timeline.

The biggest show is at Sawtell-The Island (Sawtell). This is an advanced spot, fairly consistent, and it’s exposed to the swell. The water’s sittin’ at 67° right now, which is about average for this time of year, so no crazy surprises there.

We start with a bit of a slow warm-up. Saturday the 18th is a write-off—on the morning we’ve got 6 ft of ESE swell, but it’s crossed up with a S wind at 16 mph, makin’ it messy. The energy’s lookin’ weak in the water (627). Kite surfers might be havin’ a look, but it’s not for us.

Sunday the 19th gets big, but it’s too big. The morning sees 10 ft from the E with a period of 10 seconds, energy’s pumpin’ (2284), but the wind is cross from the SSE at 16 mph. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s a handful. The afternoon is even bigger at 12 ft and 4267 energy—definitely too much for paddle surfing.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday morning, the 20th of July, is the pick of the whole forecast. We’ve got 8 ft of ESE swell rollin’ in, period at 10 seconds, and the energy is solid (2591). The wind is a gentle S breeze at 9 mph, blowin’ cross-off, keepin’ the surface clean. For an experienced surfer, this is it. Good size, clean lines, and the swell direction is bang on from the SE, which is the sweet spot for this break. Crowds are possible, so get in early.

The rest of the first week tails off. Monday afternoon drops to 7 ft with a cross breeze, and the energy fades (931). Tuesday the 21st starts with a glassy 5 ft from the E, wind from the SW at 3 mph, dead calm—it’s pretty, but the energy is weak (484). The surf’s small from there on, with 3 ft on Wednesday and 2 ft on Thursday, all with poor conditions.

Friday the 24th sees a slight bump back to 7 ft from the SSE, but it’s marginal. The energy is moderate (783) and the wind is cross-off from the SSW, but the quality’s not there.

Into the second week, it’s small and inconsistent. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th have 4 ft and 4 ft, both glassy in the mornings, but the energy is low (263 and 277). Monday the 27th is tiny at 3 ft. The tail end of the forecast, from Tuesday the 28th to Sunday the 2nd of August, is mostly under 3 ft with poor winds and rain showers. The energy stays weak, never crackin’ 300. There’s a long stretch of flat days, so don’t get your hopes up for the second week.

So, bottom line: Monday morning the 20th of July is the one to target. Get on it early, clean lines, solid 8 ft from the ESE, and the wind’s your friend. The rest is a gamble.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Sat afternoon, light winds from the SSW by Mon night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
!
!
!
!
4
2
3
2
1
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
2
2
4
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
ESE
8
2.4
ESE
9
4
ESE
11
3
E
10
3.5
ESE
10
3
ESE
10
2.5
ESE
10
2.2
ESE
10
1.8
E
10
1.5
E
10
1.4
E
10
1.2
E
9
1
E
9
0.9
E
9
0.8
E
8
0.7
E
8
0.6
E
8
2.2
SSE
8
2.1
SSE
9
1.8
SSE
9
1.9
S
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
427
917
3170
1818
2236
1588
1393
878
618
426
354
234
157
125
88
68
49
615
734
508
673
Wind (km/h)
25
S
35
S
30
SSE
25
SSE
30
SSE
20
SSE
15
S
15
SSE
10
SW
5
SW
10
ENE
10
WNW
10
NNW
15
NE
5
W
5
SW
15
SSE
25
SSW
15
SSW
10
SSE
10
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
off
glassy
on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
off
High Tide
11:05AM1.19m
11:11PM1.54m
11:56AM1.21m
11:54PM1.36m
12:49PM1.22m
00:40AM1.19m
1:45PM1.23m
1:31AM1.04m
2:44PM1.24m
2:32AM0.92m
3:44PM1.27m
3:42AM0.86m
4:41PM1.32m
Low Tide
4:47PM0.21m
5:45AM0.08m
5:42PM0.32m
6:25AM0.15m
6:42PM0.43m
7:05AM0.22m
7:51PM0.51m
7:48AM0.29m
9:11PM0.54m
8:38AM0.34m
10:30PM0.52m
9:34AM0.36m
11:34PM0.46m
part cloud
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:41
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:39
6:39
6:37
<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
1
14
4
4
3
1
1
Temp °C
18
18
17
18
17
16
18
18
15
17
17
15
20
19
15
20
18
14
16
16
13
Feels °C
12
12
12
14
13
13
15
15
14
16
16
14
18
16
14
18
16
9
12
13
10
  • 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 Sawtell-The Island:

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 Sawtell-The Island 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 Sawtell-The Island Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Sawtell-The Island provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Sawtell-The Island can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Sawtell-The Island 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 (Sawtell-The Island) 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 Sawtell-The Island 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 Port Macquarie? If you are looking for accommodation near Sawtell-The Island, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Port Macquarie, consider staying in Coffs Harbour which is 9 km (6 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in South Grafton which is 62 km (39 miles) away

Nearest locationNearest