Sawtell-The Island Surf Break

Lat Long: 30.37° S 153.11° E

Issued: 9 pm 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: Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSE swell with 3,725 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period with SSE 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 3.0m and 11s. 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Wed 8th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 12s
Best Surf 1AM (Wed 8th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 12s
Most Powerful 1AM (Wed 8th 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

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. Rusty here.

We’ve got a solid run ahead, but ya gotta pick your moments. The first few days are all about big, powerful groundswell, and it’s a pretty wild ride before it settles into a mellow, clean spell. Keep your eyes peeled for the standout day—it’s a good one.

Wednesday the 8th is where it kicks off, but this is for advanced crew only. Sawtell-The Island is pumping with a massive 12ft SSE groundswell. That’s huge, and with a period of 11 seconds, the energy is peaking at a very strong 4393. The wind is a cross-off S’ly breeze at 12 mph, which keeps it clean, but the swell is just too big for this break for most. The afternoon drops slightly to 8ft (3813 energy), but the wind stays the same. This is expert territory, no doubt.

Thursday the 9th hangs in there, but it’s dropping fast. Morning shows 7ft SSE swell (1840 energy) and moderate to strong cross-off winds, but the quality is marginal. By the afternoon, it’s down to 7ft from the SE (949 energy) and the wind is lighter, but it’s still not the pick.

Friday the 10th is where the mood shifts. Morning is looking tasty. The swell has dropped to a much more manageable 6ft from the SE, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 614, but the wind turns light from the SSW, making for clean, cross-off conditions. It’s a good, solid wave. The afternoon holds the same size but the wind goes cross-shore, which kills the shape a bit.

Now, here’s the highlight. Saturday morning, July 11th. The swell is a friendly 4ft from the ESE (471 energy), the wind is glassy—completely dead from the NNW at 3 mph. It’s gonna be a beautiful, clean morning with fun little waves. This is the standout for the week. The afternoon sees an ESE groundswell with a longer 11-second period, but the wind turns cross-on from the NNE, so the morning window is the one.

Sunday the 12th keeps the good vibes rolling with clean, offshore SW winds. The swell is 3ft from the ESE (205 energy), clean and lined up. Afternoon gets a bit more wind, but it’s still offshore from the SW. Good, solid weekend waves.

We drift into the new week. Monday the 13th is clean and glassy, but the swell is dropping to 3ft and the energy is weak (155), with a short period of 8 seconds. It’s surfable, but pretty ordinary.

Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th are a write-off. Swell drops below 2ft and the energy is pathetic (33 and 30). Basically, a flat spell.

Thursday the 16th brings a pulse back, but it’s a messy one. Morning is 5ft but with strong 16 mph cross-off winds and poor conditions. The afternoon kicks up to 7ft S’ly swell (1472 energy) but it’s still windy and marginal. This is more of a wind swell and not recommended for paddle surfing—it looks better for the kite crew.

Friday the 17th is similar: 7ft from the S (1335 energy) with strong cross-off winds, and the quality is poor for a paddle board. The wind stays on it into Saturday and Sunday, with fresh 19 mph breezes washing things out. Not your friend.

Monday the 20th finally sees a lull in the wind, but the swell is small (3ft) and the energy is weak. Tuesday the 21st has a glassy morning with just 3ft of weak E swell (98 energy)—barely rideable.

For the rest of the forecast, it’s tiny and ordinary right through to the 23rd, with a bit of a NE bump coming through with offshore winds, but it’s only 2ft. Not enough to get excited about.

So, the standout is Saturday morning, July 11th. Glassy, clean, and fun at Sawtell-The Island with that 4ft ESE swell. If you miss that, Friday morning the 10th is your next best bet for a clean 6ft wave. The rest is either too big, too windy, or too flat.

Stay stoked.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tue
14
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
!
!
4
4
3
2
3
3
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
2
1
0
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
4
SSE
12
3.5
SSE
11
2.5
SE
11
2.4
SE
11
2.2
SSE
10
2.1
SE
10
1.8
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.5
SE
10
0.9
ESE
12
1.2
ESE
11
1.3
ESE
10
1
ESE
10
0.8
ESE
10
1.1
S
8
0.9
SSE
8
0.7
SSE
8
0.6
S
8
0.5
S
7
0.4
SSE
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
3725
2575
1736
1347
943
865
624
542
576
425
241
349
333
204
120
138
115
72
48
24
13
Wind (km/h)
20
S
20
S
20
S
20
SSW
20
SSW
15
S
15
SW
10
SSW
10
SSE
10
W
5
NNW
10
NNE
10
WNW
10
W
20
SW
10
W
5
SW
5
E
10
W
10
SSW
10
E
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross
off
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross-on
High Tide
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
7:44AM1.08m
Low Tide
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
1:24PM0.03m
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
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
6:41
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:00
5:00
5:00
5:01
5:01
5:02
5:02
 mm
4
2
2
1
2
2
Temp °C
15
18
16
15
16
16
14
16
15
13
18
18
14
19
18
12
15
15
12
16
15
Feels °C
11
14
12
11
12
13
11
14
13
11
16
15
11
14
13
9
13
13
10
13
13
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
SE
11
3
SE
11
2.5
SE
11
2.4
SE
11
1.7
SSE
10
0.6
ESE
10
1.8
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.5
SE
10
1.2
SE
9
1.2
ESE
11
1.3
ESE
10
1
ESE
10
0.8
ESE
10
0.7
S
7
0.9
SSE
8
0.7
SSE
8
0.6
S
8
0.5
S
7
0.4
SSE
6
Energy kJ
2367
1773
1625
1347
578
68
624
542
576
425
241
349
333
204
120
51
115
72
48
24
13
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
ESE
15
1.2
ESE
13
1.5
ESE
12
1.2
ESE
11
0.1
S
23
0.6
SE
14
0.4
SE
14
0.1
S
19
0.3
ESE
15
0.9
ESE
12
0.8
SSE
9
0.2
NNE
4
0.1
NE
4
0.5
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.3
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.2
E
10
0.2
S
11
Energy kJ
45
454
604
308
10
147
72
7
42
224
99
1
1
49
31
14
6
8
9
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
S
23
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
21
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
18
0.4
N
4
0.2
N
4
0.1
E
10
0.2
E
10
0.2
E
10
0.2
E
10
0.1
E
7
0.1
SE
7
Energy kJ
11
6
9
6
6
6
1
2
9
8
8
1
2
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
4
SSE
12
3.5
SSE
11
2.5
SSE
11
2.3
SSE
11
2.2
SSE
10
2.1
SE
10
0.4
NW
2
0.2
WNW
3
0.4
SW
3
1.1
S
8
Energy kJ
3725
2575
1736
1167
943
865
1
1
2
138
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
7
4
3
5
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
Distance (km)
30
30
23
2
2
16
0
0
2
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
16
0
106
173
Best forecast wave conditions in Port Macquarie
Rating
(10 max)
7
4
5
5
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
1
3
3
2
1
1
1
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia
Rating
(10 max)
7
7
5
5
4
4
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
2
1
2
5
6
4
4
9
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
7
9
8
8
8
8
6
5
5
5
7
5
5
5
6
8
6
5
6
6
9
  • 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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