Sawtell-The Island Surf Break

Lat Long: 30.37° S 153.11° E

Issued: 9 am 07 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

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

Slightly cooler than normal

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 7 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSE swell with 4,278 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period with SE 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 Tuesday (Jul 07) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Sawtell-The Island in the next 16 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 10PM. 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 5s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1PM (Tue 7th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 11s
Best Surf 1PM (Tue 7th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 11s
Most Powerful10PM (Tue 7th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 12s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let’s break down what’s headed towards Sawtell-The Island. We’ve got a solid run of swell on the cards, though it starts way too big for comfort before settling into cleaner, more user-friendly waves. Water temp is sitting at 67°F, which is just a hair below average for this time of year—nothing crazy, just a bit of that usual coolness.

We open up this Tuesday, 7th July, with a chunky 12ft SSE swell pushing in at an 11-second period. Combined energy is massive at 4794, and with cross-off winds around 16 mph, it’s clean but enormous—expert-only territory. Wednesday stays in that same 11ft-plus range, so unless you’ve got a big gun and bigger nerve, give it a miss.

Thursday, 9th July, drops to 7ft SSE, still clean with moderate cross-off winds, though combined energy is still high at 1791. It’s looking a bit average. By Friday morning the 10th, we’re down to a much friendlier 6ft SE swell with light cross-off breezes. Energy drops to 578, and it’s clean. That’s when it starts to look good. Saturday the 11th is a ripper—4ft SE swell, glassy flat, barely a puff of wind. That’s a standout morning for sure.

There’s a gap from Sunday the 12th through to Wednesday the 15th, with swells barely hitting 3ft and dropping to under 1ft by Tuesday. Not much happening—small and ordinary.

Then we get a pulse on Thursday the 16th—8ft S swell at 12 seconds with strong cross-off winds. Combined energy jumps to 2174, but it’s raw and hefty. Friday the 17th backs off quick to around 5ft. Saturday the 18th morning is a solid call—4ft SE swell, light offshore, clean, with energy at 315. That’s a good session if the crowds aren’t thick.

Heading into the final stretch, Tuesday the 21st morning is a beauty—6ft SSE swell, dead calm, glassy. Combined energy sits at 407. Then Wednesday the 22nd morning ups the ante—7ft SE swell, glassy again, with really good conditions and combined energy at 728. That’s the standout of the long-range—clean, solid, and the swell direction lines up perfectly for the Island. Crowds can be a bit of a thing here sometimes, so aim for an early paddle.

The Island is an exposed reef setup, so with that longer period it’ll draw in some proper lines but can get a little straight at times—still, for the savvy surfer, it’s one to mark on the calendar.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
!
!
!
!
!
!
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
2
2
0
1
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
SSE
11
3.5
SE
11
4
SSE
12
3.5
SSE
11
3
SSE
11
3
SSE
11
2.1
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
10
1.8
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.6
SE
10
1.3
SE
9
0.9
ESE
12
1.3
ESE
10
1
ESE
10
0.9
ESE
9
0.7
SE
10
0.5
ESE
9
0.5
S
8
0.5
S
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2923
2679
3826
2648
1816
1798
867
1045
624
542
565
475
275
254
354
192
138
94
45
29
30
Wind (km/h)
25
SSW
30
S
20
SSW
20
S
15
S
20
SSW
20
SSW
15
S
15
SW
10
SSW
10
SSE
10
WSW
5
N
10
NE
15
NW
10
WSW
5
ENE
10
W
5
SSW
10
NE
10
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross
off
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
off
on
off
glassy
on
off
High Tide
1:23PM1.16m
1:10AM1.23m
2:22PM1.25m
2:13AM1.13m
3:24PM1.36m
3:24AM1.06m
4:26PM1.48m
4:38AM1.02m
5:25PM1.62m
5:46AM1.02m
6:21PM1.74m
6:48AM1.05m
7:15PM1.83m
Low Tide
7:10PM0.46m
7:44AM0.17m
8:27PM0.46m
8:37AM0.18m
9:49PM0.41m
9:34AM0.17m
11:05PM0.31m
10:34AM0.15m
00:12AM0.20m
11:33AM0.12m
1:11AM0.09m
12:30PM0.07m
2:04AM0.01m
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:43
6:43
6:43
6:43
6:43
6:43
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:00
5:00
5:00
5:00
5:01
5:01
5:02
 mm
2
2
4
2
1
1
2
1
Temp °C
17
17
15
17
17
15
15
16
13
16
16
14
17
18
15
19
18
13
16
16
13
Feels °C
12
11
11
13
14
12
12
13
10
13
14
12
15
16
13
17
16
9
14
13
11
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
SE
11
3
SE
11
3
SE
11
2.5
SE
11
2.4
SE
11
1.7
SSE
10
2.1
SE
10
1.8
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.6
SE
10
1.3
SE
9
1.1
SE
9
1.3
ESE
10
1
ESE
10
0.9
ESE
9
0.7
SE
10
0.5
S
8
0.5
S
8
0.5
S
8
Energy kJ
1871
2444
1868
1625
1347
554
809
624
542
565
475
275
199
354
192
138
94
29
29
30
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
ESE
15
1.2
ESE
13
1.5
ESE
12
1.3
ESE
11
0.1
S
23
0.5
SE
14
0.3
SE
13
0.1
S
19
0.1
SE
16
0.7
ESE
13
0.9
ESE
12
0.9
SSE
9
0.6
SSE
9
0.5
SSE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.5
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
8
0.3
ESE
8
Energy kJ
45
454
604
359
10
91
28
7
10
184
254
119
61
39
16
45
27
13
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
S
23
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
21
0.1
S
20
0.1
S
21
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
18
0.3
N
4
0.2
N
4
0.3
SSW
7
0.4
S
4
0.4
SE
8
0.1
E
10
Energy kJ
11
6
9
8
9
7
6
2
1
10
6
18
2
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
SSE
11
3.5
SE
11
4
SSE
12
3.5
SSE
11
3
SSE
11
3
SSE
11
2.1
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
10
0.2
WSW
3
0.2
W
3
0.2
NNE
4
0.3
WSW
2
0.7
SSW
5
Energy kJ
2923
2679
3826
2648
1816
1798
867
1045
1
1
1
1
22
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
7
4
5
5
2
4
3
3
3
2
2
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
Distance (km)
2
75
30
30
75
2
23
1
0
0
2
0
0
16
0
0
16
0
0
16
1
Best forecast wave conditions in Port Macquarie
Rating
(10 max)
6
5
7
4
5
5
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
1
2
2
1
1
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia
Rating
(10 max)
7
5
7
7
5
5
4
4
5
4
4
3
4
4
2
2
4
1
1
1
5
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
7
5
7
9
8
9
7
7
6
7
5
5
5
5
5
5
9
9
7
5
6
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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

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