
Surf Forecasts:
Thirroul surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 12s period, S swell with 925 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thirroul this week:
The surf forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thirroul in the next 16 days are 1.8m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Wednesday (Jul 22) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here.
Alright, look, the next couple of weeks at Thirroul are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a quiet start, then a proper pulse of south groundswell late in the run that’s going to get the blood pumping. If you can hold out, the end of the forecast window is where the real action is.
Tuesday the 21st kicks things off with some clean, surfable waves. Nothing massive, chest-to-shoulder high 4ft from the ENE with a 10-second period, cross-off wind from the NNW, and the water’s sitting at a comfortable 65°, a degree and a half warmer than average for this time of year. It’s not the biggest, but it’s a fun little session with decent energy (387). The afternoon chops up a bit as the wind swings NE.
Wednesday morning the 22nd is a beauty if you can get out early. That same 3ft ENE swell is there, but with a glassy, offshore W wind it’ll be absolute perfection. The energy is moderate (202). Clean lines, no crowds to worry about yet.
The middle of the week from Thursday the 23rd to Sunday the 26th is small. There’s a little bump of S swell on Friday morning the 24th at 5ft but with a short 8-second period, it’ll be a bit weak and wobbly. Saturday the 25th has a S groundswell coming in at 11 seconds (397 energy) but the wind is howling cross-off at 16 mph, so it’s going to be a battle. Sunday the 26th morning is the pick of this average run: clean, 5ft from the S, light SW wind, and solid energy (422). Worth a look if you’re keen.
Then there’s a real lull. Monday the 28th and Tuesday the 29th drop right off. The swell gets tiny—down to 1ft and 0.3ft—with hardly any energy (37, then 22, then just 10). Stick to the land-based activities.
Now, hold on to your hats. On Wednesday afternoon the 29th, things flip completely. We get a sudden jump to 12ft from the S (1936 energy), but the wind is messy and the period is short, so it’ll be a washing machine. Not for the faint-hearted.
But from Thursday the 30th right through the weekend, we are talking about a proper standout. This is what you wait for. Thursday morning the 30th delivers clean 8ft S groundswell at 11 seconds (1456 energy) with light cross-off wind. That's excellent, powerful surf for experienced surfers only. The wave quality is top-shelf. Friday the 31st goes even bigger with a 10ft SSE groundswell, clean offshore W wind at 12 mph, and a massive 1889 energy. This is serious. Saturday the 1st of August starts glassy with a 10ft SSE swell (1717 energy) – absolutely perfect conditions for the experts.
Sunday the 2nd of August is the absolute highlight. The morning sees a 10ft S groundswell, a 11-second period, clean offshore W wind at 16 mph, and combined energy skyrocketing to 3450. That is a serious, powerful, generation-long groundswell. The afternoon holds a 10ft SSE swell with a 12-second period at 3908 energy. This is the kind of day where the point and reef at Thirroul will be absolutely working, with long, lined-up sets. If you don’t have the experience for waves over 8ft, watch from the rocks, because these are only for experts.
The wind turns cross-shore on Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th, dropping the quality, but the swell is still solid at 7ft to 8ft with SE energy (1056 to 1381). It’ll be lumpy and harder to surf. By Wednesday the 5th, the swell fades back to junk.
So the bottom line: the first week is small and average. The second week, from the 30th of July through the 2nd of August, is absolutely firing. Those are your standouts. Thursday the 30th and Sunday the 2nd are the two best on offer.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 6°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the WSW by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
331 | 269 | 218 | 179 | 175 | 103 | 94 | 73 | 120 | 266 | 220 | 746 | 388 | 295 | 426 | 418 | 347 | 240 | 192 | 123 | 41 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | off | glassy | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:53PM1.27m | 1:54AM1.01m | 2:46PM1.28m | 3:00AM0.92m | 3:41PM1.30m | 4:12AM0.87m | 4:35PM1.33m | 5:17AM0.88m | 5:25PM1.37m | 6:11AM0.91m | 6:11PM1.42m | 6:56AM0.95m | 6:53PM1.48m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:15PM0.49m | 7:57AM0.39m | 9:28PM0.50m | 8:45AM0.45m | 10:38PM0.47m | 9:39AM0.49m | 11:37PM0.42m | 10:35AM0.49m | 00:25AM0.36m | 11:28AM0.47m | 1:07AM0.30m | 12:15PM0.43m | 1:45AM0.24m | ||||||||
6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | |
— | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 11 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 |
331 | 269 | 218 | 179 | 175 | 103 | 94 | 73 | 120 | 266 | 220 | 746 | 388 | 295 | 426 | 418 | 347 | 240 | 192 | 123 | 41 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 5 | S 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SSE 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | SE 18 | NE 3 | SE 8 |
35 | 31 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 32 | 19 | 186 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 16 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | S 12 | — | S 10 | S 6 | E 8 | E 7 | SSE 16 | — | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | NE 8 | S 14 | E 11 | SSE 8 | SE 16 |
21 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 3 | — | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 3 | NE 3 | NNW 2 | — | — | W 3 | WSW 4 | W 3 | WSW 4 | W 3 | — | WNW 3 | W 3 | — | WSW 3 | — | — | — | NE 7 | NNE 3 | W 3 |
5 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 7 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Thirroul Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Thirroul provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thirroul can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thirroul 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 (Thirroul) 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 Thirroul 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 Illawarra? If you are looking for accommodation near Thirroul, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Illawarra, consider staying in Wollongong which is 12 km (7 miles) away. Other places in and around Illawarra where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Port Kembla which is 19 km (12 miles) away, Engadine, Cronulla and Caringbah.










