
Surf Forecasts:
Sawtell-The Island surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, ESE swell with 4,034 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore 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 Sunday (Jul 19) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sawtell-The Island over the next 16 days.
G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Sawtell’s The Island. This is an exposed, advanced break that can really fire when the stars align, and it’s a fairly consistent one too. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothin’ wild there.
The next few days are pretty quiet. Sunday the 12th starts with a small 3ft ESE swell, period 10 seconds, and a light WNW cross-off breeze. Combined energy is moderate (262), and the waves are clean – a nice little session to ease into the week. Monday morning the 13th goes glassy with a tiny 2ft ESE swell, period 8 seconds, and energy is weak (59). It’s tiny, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, it’s there. After that, things drop right off through Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th. There’s a few days of flat, poor conditions with hardly any energy – you’re looking at a gap of about 3 days with no real surf.
Then things get interesting, but maybe too interesting. Wednesday afternoon the 15th sees a sudden jump to 7ft from the SSE, period 7 seconds, strong wind from the S at 30 km/h, energy moderate (434), but it’s messy. Thursday the 16th brings a massive 12ft to 13ft SSE swell, with period 9 seconds, energy rocketing into the thousands (1838 to 2744), and a fresh 30-35 km/h S wind. The forecast says it’s too big for this break – that’s for experts only, and even then, it’s gonna be a handful. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th stay huge, 10ft from the SE, with strong cross-shore winds and lumpy chop. This is more kite-surfing territory than paddle surfing, fellas. Sunday the 19th is still pumping 13ft ESE swell, period 11 seconds, energy at a massive 5674, with a moderate S breeze – still too big for most of us.
The standout for the whole period is Monday the 20th. We get a 8ft E swell, period 10 seconds, energy solid (1070), and a light SSW cross-off breeze. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – clean, punchy, and the direction is good for the break. It’s the best of the lot. Tuesday the 21st morning is also a gem – 5ft ESE swell, period 10 seconds, energy moderate (530), and glassy conditions with a S wind. That’s a clean, fun size for the advanced crew, and crowds are possible here, so get in early.
After that, into the second week, things settle. Wednesday the 22nd to Saturday the 25th offer smaller, cleaner waves, mostly in the 3ft to 4ft range, with offshore or light winds. The highlight there is Thursday the 23rd morning – 3ft E swell, period 10 seconds, energy moderate (209), and dead flat glassy conditions. That’ll be a fun, clean morning. The swell direction is from the ESE to E, which is the optimum for The Island, so these smaller days will still have shape.
Sunday the 26th shows a bit of a bump – 6ft from the S, period 8 seconds, with a moderate SSW breeze – but it’s a bit short-period and mixed. The last few days of the forecast taper off again, with small, weak swell.
So, the best on offer is Monday the 20th for the big clean swell, with Tuesday the 21st morning and Thursday the 23rd morning as the mellow glassy sessions. The massive stuff from the 16th to the 19th is for the brave or the kite crew.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Wed morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 10 | ESE 7 | S 7 | E 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | E 11 | ESE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
200 | 154 | 79 | 40 | 27 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 432 | 1149 | 1838 | 2744 | 2074 | 1573 | 1339 | 1227 | 1855 | 2365 | 4034 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:21PM1.74m | 6:48AM1.05m | 7:15PM1.83m | 7:44AM1.08m | 8:06PM1.88m | 8:36AM1.12m | 8:55PM1.88m | 9:26AM1.15m | 9:42PM1.82m | 10:15AM1.17m | 10:27PM1.70m | 11:05AM1.19m | 11:11PM1.54m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:33AM0.12m | 1:11AM0.09m | 12:30PM0.07m | 2:04AM0.01m | 1:24PM0.03m | 2:53AM-0.03m | 2:15PM0.02m | 3:39AM-0.04m | 3:06PM0.05m | 4:23AM-0.02m | 3:56PM0.11m | 5:05AM0.02m | 4:47PM0.21m | ||||||||
6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | |
— | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 19 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 4 | ESE 7 | SSE 4 | E 9 | E 10 | — | — | — | NE 9 | NE 8 | S 18 | S 17 | S 20 | E 11 | S 20 |
200 | 154 | 79 | 40 | 21 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 32 | 2365 | 131 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | — | S 8 | S 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | S 9 | S 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | S 13 | S 17 | — | — | S 14 | S 22 | — |
57 | — | 33 | 17 | 27 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | — | — | 4 | 36 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | NNW 4 | NNW 3 | SE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | N 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | — | WSW 2 | — | — | — | S 4 | SSE 4 | — | S 4 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | SSE 6 | ESE 11 |
1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | — | 23 | 432 | 1149 | 1838 | 2744 | 2074 | 1573 | 1339 | 1227 | 1855 | 256 | 4034 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 143 | 137 | 570 | 143 | 16 | 189 | 30 | 353 | 569 | 406 | 406 | 399 | 399 | 319 | 399 | 189 |
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










