Surf Forecasts:
The Island surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,904 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Island this week:
The surf forecast for The Island over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Island in the next 16 days are 1.8m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for The Island. We’ve got a solid run of groundswell from the southwest, and that’s a good sign. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about standard for this time of year—nothing weird going on there.
The first real standout is Monday, August 17, the afternoon. Glassy conditions, a clean 4ft SW swell with a long 16-second period. The energy is moderate at 1045, but that long period means the waves will have some serious push and shape. The wind is dead calm, so it’ll be silky smooth out there. This is a reef break, and with that period it’s going to line up beautifully. This is the best on offer for the first part of the week.
Now, Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th get messy. Tuesday morning has a cross-offshore wind of 19 mph that makes it clean but blowy, and the swell drops a bit. By the afternoon it’s cross-shore and lumpy. Wednesday is a write-off with onshore winds and poor conditions. You don’t want to be out there then.
Thursday the 20th morning shows some life again. Clean, 5ft SW swell with a 16-second period and light cross-off wind. The energy is good at 995. It’s a nice window for a session, but not a standout compared to Monday.
Then Friday the 21st morning is a gem. Completely glassy, 6ft SW groundswell with a 17-second period. That’s a lot of water moving, and the energy jumps to 1955—moderate to strong. This is a big, powerful groundswell for the reef, and with zero wind, it’s going to be world-class for experienced surfers. This is the standout of the whole forecast. It’s big enough that beginners should stay on the beach, but for anyone who knows what they’re doing, it’s a session to remember.
The rest of that weekend (Saturday 22nd, Sunday 23rd) holds decent size, but the wind swings around and puts some bump on the surface. Sunday morning (23rd) has a clean cross-off wind and 5ft SW swell, but the real magic was Friday.
From Monday 24th through to Wednesday 26th, the swell goes through a lull. Small, weak, and often choppy or onshore. Not worth rushing for.
Then come Thursday 27th and the wind really gets nasty. Onshore at 19-22 mph, and the swell jumps up to 8ft with a 16-second period. The energy is strong at 3216. That’s a lot of ocean, but it’s going to be blown out and ugly. Only for the hardest of the hardcore, and even then, it’s more of a battle than a joyride.
After that, Friday 28th is small and choppy, so skip it.
Finally, we get another decent window on Saturday 29th morning. Clean, 5ft SW swell with a 15-second period and light cross-off wind. Energy is moderate at 1036. It’s a good, clean session for the weekend, but nothing like the Friday the 21st magic.
Sunday 30th afternoon also looks glassy again, with a 4ft SW swell. Nice, clean small-wave fun.
Looking into the first few days of September, it gets windy and lumpy again.
Bottom line: Your best bets are Monday 17th afternoon for a clean, mellow session, and absolutely Friday 21st morning for a proper, powerful, glassy groundswell session. That Friday is the one to book off work for.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Tue morning, calm by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 17 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
543 | 772 | 465 | 1104 | 447 | 974 | 840 | 989 | 1014 | 1135 | 940 | 1771 | 1764 | 1602 | 1297 | 1092 | 706 | 1210 | 847 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | on | on | glassy | cross | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | off | cross | off |
High Tide | 9:38PM0.00m | 11:43PM0.00m | 1:24AM0.00m | 2:52AM0.00m | |||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 6:13AM-0.00m | 8:29AM-0.00m | 10:44AM-0.00m | 12:36PM-0.00m | 2:09PM-0.00m | 3:36PM-0.00m | |||||||||||||
— | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | |
6:05 | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 20 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 11 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 17 | S 17 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
543 | 772 | 465 | 5 | 447 | 974 | 840 | 989 | 1014 | 1135 | 671 | 1771 | 1764 | 1602 | 1297 | 1092 | 706 | 1210 | 847 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | S 18 | S 18 | — | S 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | S 17 | S 16 | SW 19 | SW 17 | S 17 | S 16 | SW 24 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 18 | S 16 | S 16 |
441 | 6 | 6 | — | 5 | 181 | 258 | 6 | 5 | 432 | 940 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 160 | 306 | 516 | 5 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 20 | — | — | — | — | S 16 | S 15 | — | — | S 16 | S 17 | — | — | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 18 | — | — |
7 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | — | — | 5 | 6 | — | — | 5 | 21 | 4 | 6 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 4 | N 4 | WSW 16 | WSW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 4 | — | — | — |
— | 18 | 21 | 1104 | 202 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 133 | 249 | 412 | 496 | 499 | 1073 | 0 | 13 | 1065 | 0 | 0 | 337 | 0 | 0 | 337 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eyre Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Island Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for 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 The Island can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our 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 (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 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 Eyre Peninsula? If you are looking for accommodation near The Island, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Eyre Peninsula, consider staying in Thevenard which is 111 km (69 miles) away.











