Surf Forecasts:
Thirroul surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, S swell with 610 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thirroul in the next 16 days are 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Look, it's a bit of a slow start for Thirroul. We're looking at a real mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, with plenty of small, ordinary days and some blown-out ones in between. There's a couple of brief windows of clean, rideable surf, but you'll need to pick your moments.
The early session on Friday morning, August 21, is nothing flash. We’ve got a weak 3ft swell from the ENE with a short, weak 6-second period and only 52 units of energy (weak). The wind’s offshore from the NW though, 10 km/h, so it'll be clean. It's surfable, but that's about all you can say for it.
The weekend is a write-off, with tiny waves hardly hitting 0.7ft. Hold off until Sunday morning, August 23. That's a bit more promising. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the south, the energy jumps to 136 (moderate), and it's dead glassy with a light NNW breeze. It's only small, but it'll be clean and you'll get a few.
Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th offer similar small, clean waves in the mornings with offshore to cross-off winds. It's not big, but it's a chance to get wet without the fight.
Now, the week ahead gets a bit more interesting. Wednesday morning, August 26, has 3ft from the ENE with 134 energy (moderate) and a light WSW cross-off breeze. It's clean enough. But things shift Wednesday afternoon when a 4ft south swell arrives with 340 (moderate) energy and clean cross-off winds from the west at 20 km/h. A better pulse.
Thursday, August 27, sees the biggest swell of the period so far – 5ft from the south, with a longer 11-second period and a solid 628 units of combined energy (strong). That's a proper groundswell. However, the wind turns cross-shore from the SSW, then onshore from the ESE in the arvo, so it won't be perfect. This is expert territory now, with waves over 5ft.
Here's the standout. Friday morning, August 28, is the pick of the first week. We've got a 3ft south swell, 9-second period, and 252 energy (moderate). But the key is the wind – a solid WNW offshore breeze at 20 km/h. That'll groom it up beautifully. For Thirroul, offshore from WNW is what you want. It'll be clean and lined up. This is the session to target.
The end of August and start of September gets messy. A strong south wind kicks up on Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th, with onshore winds and messy, choppy surf. That south wind on the 30th pushes the swell to 8ft from the NE, but with 1130 energy (very strong) and onshore wind, it's a complete mess. Kite surfers might be frothing, but for a paddle surfer, it's a write-off.
The run continues poor through Monday the 31st with onshore winds.
Then we see a brief reprieve on Tuesday morning, September 1. The swell drops back to 4ft from the east, 10-second period, with 345 energy (moderate). And it's dead glassy with an ESE breeze at only 5 km/h. That's a beautiful window for some clean, albeit average-sized, waves. A nice way to start spring if you can get out.
The outlook fades again after that, with some smaller clean days on the 3rd and 4th of September but nothing worth hanging your hat on. The 3rd morning has a clean 4ft from the south with a cross-off breeze, but the period is short at 7 seconds.
So to sum it up: if you want the best surf, point your board at Friday morning, August 28 for the cleanest, most powerful lines under offshore winds. Tuesday morning, September 1 is a solid backup with glassy conditions. The rest is marginal or blown out. Keep your eyes on the forecast, it's a fickle stretch.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 8 | S 11 | S 8 | S 12 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | S 8 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
59 | 48 | 35 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 58 | 105 | 130 | 120 | 87 | 63 | 64 | 47 | 80 | 131 | 120 | 224 | 489 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:26AM0.86m | 2:55PM1.25m | 3:47AM0.84m | 4:00PM1.27m | 4:57AM0.87m | 4:57PM1.32m | 5:49AM0.92m | 5:45PM1.38m | 6:31AM0.99m | 6:26PM1.45m | 7:08AM1.06m | 7:04PM1.50m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:53AM0.53m | 10:06PM0.48m | 9:01AM0.55m | 11:09PM0.43m | 10:09AM0.54m | 11:58PM0.37m | 11:07AM0.49m | 00:37AM0.30m | 11:56AM0.43m | 1:12AM0.23m | 12:39PM0.37m | 1:44AM0.17m | |||||||
— | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 13 |
Feels °C | 15 | 19 | 20 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 13 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | S 10 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | S 11 | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | S 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | S 8 | S 10 |
59 | 48 | 2 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 58 | 105 | 57 | 120 | 87 | 63 | 64 | 47 | 25 | 131 | 120 | 224 | 489 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 11 | SW 4 | S 10 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 4 | NE 6 | S 12 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | S 18 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 9 | S 9 | S 6 | ENE 8 | NE 8 |
3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 130 | 9 | 18 | 6 | 61 | 39 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 111 | 72 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 11 | SE 9 | E 9 | S 5 | S 4 | ENE 6 | SSE 16 | E 15 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | S 15 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 16 | S 16 | S 10 | S 15 | — |
3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 5 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ENE 6 | WSW 3 | WNW 3 | — | — | — | NE 9 | NNW 2 | NNW 2 | ENE 6 | — | NNE 3 | NE 6 | N 4 | WSW 3 | — | WSW 3 |
— | — | 35 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 20 | 1 | 1 | 52 | — | 3 | 80 | 10 | 7 | — | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 338 | 328 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











