
Surf Forecasts:
Sawtell-The Island surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, ESE swell with 1,539 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s 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 Monday (Jul 20) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 13s. 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 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 10AM. 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 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sawtell-The Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. We’ve got a mixed bag coming up for Sawtell’s The Island over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there’s a standout session that’ll get the blood pumping if you’re an experienced surfer. Let’s break it down.
The water temperature is sitting at 67.5°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
The real action kicks off on Monday, 20 July, in the morning. We’ve got a solid 8.2ft swell rolling in from the ESE, with a 10-second period. The combined wave energy is pumping hard at 1573 (moderate to strong energy). Winds are a light 9 mph from the south, blowing cross-offshore, which is gonna keep the faces clean. This is top-notch for experienced surfers—the Island’s exposed to the swell, so it’ll handle the size well. The swell is over 8.2ft, so this is strictly for the experts. Crowds can show up sometimes, so keep that in mind. The swell direction (ESE) is a good match for the optimum SE direction, so the waves should have decent shape. This Monday morning is the standout of the whole outlook.
After that, Monday afternoon drops off a bit with 7.5ft and cross-shore winds, not as clean. Tuesday, 21 July, sees the swell back down to 5.2ft in the morning, with a light 6 mph SW cross-off breeze. Clean conditions and lower energy (542), but it’s still surfable for the more experienced crowd. The afternoon goes cross-on and gets a bit rubbish.
Wednesday, 22 July, is small—3.9ft in the morning, but the wind is light and cross, so it’s not terrible, just very ordinary. The rest of the week is mostly small and messy, with a few clean windows but nothing to write home about. Thursday, 23 July, has a 3.0ft swell and clean morning conditions, but it’s weak.
Friday, 24 July, morning brings a 4.9ft SSE swell with a short 7-second period, but the wind is a moderate 12 mph cross-off, so it’s clean but the waves will be choppy and weak. Not great.
Then we hit a bit of a lull. Saturday, 25 July, morning is the next decent look—3.9ft SSE swell, but with a very long 14-second period. This is proper groundswell, and the wind is light cross-off from the SSW (3 mph). The combined energy is 573 (moderate). The long period will make the waves push hard and hold shape, but it might break a bit too straight for a beach break like The Island—that said, it’s a reef setup, so it should handle it well. The morning is clean, and it’s a solid option for the confident surfer. Still, the swell is under 4.9ft, so it’s not too big for intermediates either.
Sunday, 26 July, morning is glassy—zero wind—with a 3.3ft SSE swell at 13 seconds. Clean, fun, small waves. A good morning for a longboard.
Monday, 27 July, morning, another clean 3.6ft swell with a 10-second period, cross-off wind. Serviceable.
Now, there’s a gap of a few days of poor conditions from Tuesday, 28 July, afternoon through Wednesday, 29 July, and into Thursday, 30 July, morning. Then Thursday, 30 July, afternoon picks up again with a 5.9ft SSE swell, very long 17-second period, and cross-off winds. The wave energy jumps to 1961 (strong). This is another potential standout for experienced surfers, especially if the wind holds. The long period means it’ll have plenty of push, but again, at a reef break, it should be okay. The swell is over 4.9ft, so it’s not for beginners.
Friday, 31 July, is still clean but smaller, and the weekend of 1-2 August keeps a steady 4.9ft to 3.3ft with clean cross-off winds, but the energy is dropping. The second week is less certain, but the Thursday afternoon (30 July) and Friday morning (31 July) look promising if you’re chasing clean, long-period groundswell.
Overall, the best on offer is Monday, 20 July, morning for the experts, and Thursday, 30 July, afternoon as a long-range promise. The rest is mostly small and clean, but nothing to get too excited about. Stay stoked, and keep an eye on the sky.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1539 | 1112 | 808 | 484 | 408 | 287 | 249 | 198 | 185 | 116 | 111 | 64 | 210 | 135 | 260 | 527 | 312 | 475 | 356 | 322 | 313 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 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 | 4:51AM0.85m | 5:31PM1.37m | 5:48AM0.88m | 6:17PM1.44m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:31AM0.36m | 00:24AM0.39m | 11:24AM0.33m | 1:05AM0.32m | ||||||||
6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
— | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
1539 | 1112 | 808 | 484 | 408 | 287 | 249 | 198 | 185 | 116 | 111 | 64 | 45 | 69 | 260 | 527 | 312 | 475 | 356 | 322 | 313 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 5 | S 17 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 |
34 | 54 | 47 | 40 | 38 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 33 | 35 | 34 | 30 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 16 | S 15 | S 16 | SE 15 | S 14 | S 13 | E 12 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 19 | NE 7 | NE 8 | E 9 | NE 8 | NE 6 | E 8 |
— | — | 5 | 18 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 72 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | — | SW 3 | SSE 2 | S 5 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | 1 | 16 | 210 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Port Macquarie | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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










