
Surf Forecasts:
Sawtell-The Island surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 14 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, S swell with 2,531 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with E 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 (Aug 08) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Sawtell-The Island in the next 16 days are 3.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sawtell-The Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this 16-day stretch for Sawtell-The Island is a slow grind, not a fireworks show. We’ve got a long stretch of small, junky surf ahead, with one or two windows where it might actually get interesting. Don’t get too excited, but don’t write it off completely either.
The first real look at anything is Saturday morning, August 8th. It’s small, only 2ft of east swell, and the energy is weak at 102. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSW, which will keep it clean, but it’s just not doing much. The water temp is 67°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. It’s surfable, but you’ll be working hard for nothing.
Through Sunday and Monday, the swell bumps up a little—3ft to 4ft—but the wind swings onshore and gets lumpy. Sunday afternoon is a write-off with a fresh 30 km/h NNE breeze. Monday isn’t much better. Then we hit a proper flat spell. Tuesday morning, August 11th, is dead glassy with 2ft, but energy drops to 81. That’s a real lull. The next few days stay in the 2ft to 3ft range, and the wind is all over the place. It’s a lot of hoping and waiting.
Now, here’s the one that stands out. Thursday morning, August 13th, is still small, but keep an eye on the afternoon. The swell jumps to 8ft from the south, and the energy goes ballistic—1379. That’s strong, powerful stuff. The wind is a cross-shore SE at 20 km/h, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but the size is there. This is a serious step up in energy, and it’s the biggest swell of the whole run. It’s a short period (10s), groundswell, so it might be a bit lumpy, but the power is real.
The next morning, Friday August 14th, is the real gem. The swell drops to a more manageable 5ft from the SSE, the period stretches to 11 seconds, and the wind is glassy—dead calm. The energy is still solid at 443. This is your cleanest, best-shaped window. The conditions are as good as it gets for this stretch. That’s your standout, hands down.
After that, it’s back to the grind. The weekend and the following week are small, 2ft to 3ft, with onshore winds and rain showers. There’s a brief pulse on the 21st with 3ft and a 10-second period, but the wind is up at 20 km/h, so it won’t be clean. The energy stays low—under 250 for most of it.
So, the long and short of it: Friday the 14th is your day. Thursday afternoon the 13th for the big, raw power if you’re an expert and don’t mind some chop. Everything else is a skunk. The gap between the 14th and the 19th is a real dead zone. It’s a frustrating pattern, but that Friday morning is worth waiting for.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the N by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 8 | S 10 | S 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
64 | 80 | 160 | 157 | 119 | 297 | 212 | 153 | 101 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 88 | 83 | 64 | 68 | 1066 | 2531 | 427 | 264 | 151 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 4:09PM1.49m | 4:35AM0.94m | 5:14PM1.60m | 5:44AM0.99m | 6:11PM1.71m | 6:42AM1.06m | 7:03PM1.79m | 7:32AM1.14m | 7:50PM1.83m | 8:19AM1.21m | 8:34PM1.80m | 9:03AM1.28m | 9:16PM1.71m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:04PM0.30m | 10:20AM0.23m | 00:08AM0.19m | 11:25AM0.16m | 1:01AM0.08m | 12:23PM0.09m | 1:48AM0.01m | 1:15PM0.04m | 2:30AM-0.04m | 2:04PM0.02m | 3:09AM-0.05m | 2:52PM0.04m | 3:45AM-0.02m | ||||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 |
64 | 80 | 160 | 157 | 119 | 5 | 212 | 153 | 101 | 73 | 1 | 84 | 88 | 83 | 64 | 68 | 283 | 1110 | 427 | 264 | 151 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | ENE 9 | S 8 | SSW 7 | S 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 9 | NNE 6 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
33 | 32 | 30 | 23 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 82 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 46 | 16 | 12 | 44 | 29 | 29 | 16 | 16 | 16 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 16 | E 16 | SSE 9 | E 14 | E 14 | S 8 | — | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | NNE 7 | NNE 6 | S 8 | NNE 6 | NE 6 | — | — | NE 7 | N 7 |
5 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 3 | SSE 4 | — | — | NE 4 | NE 8 | N 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 3 | — | ENE 8 | — | NNW 2 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | — | S 10 | S 13 | — | — | — |
3 | 2 | — | — | 18 | 297 | 48 | 29 | 5 | — | 82 | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | — | 1066 | 2531 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 23 | 0 | 16 | 261 | 414 | 137 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 223 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 209 | 1 | 0 | 108 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Port Macquarie | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
Latest Updates
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











