Surf Forecasts:
Thirroul surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, S swell with 331 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period with ESE 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 (Aug 18) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thirroul in the next 16 days are 1.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Thirroul (beach and reef). The water’s sitting at 64°, which is about average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.
Honestly, the first week is a bit of a struggle. The weekend just gone (Sunday 16th) was a write-off with poor, onshore junk. Monday and Tuesday aren’t much better – small, messy, and mostly cross-onshore. There’s a moment on Tuesday morning where it goes glassy, but the swell is tiny at 3ft from the ESE with a short period of 7 seconds. It’s surfable but very ordinary.
Wednesday the 19th morning cleans up with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 2ft ESE swell, period 10 seconds (longer period, so better shaped waves, but it’s small). The combined energy is weak (159). Not a standout, but a window for a grovel.
Thursday and Friday stay small, mostly under 2ft, with clean conditions but hardly any push. The energy readings are all under 50 – weak stuff.
Saturday the 22nd afternoon sees a jump in size to 5ft from the SSE, but the wind is a strong cross-shore at 15 mph, making it a choppy mess. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The first real spark comes on Monday 24th August. The morning has a clean 4ft NE swell with light offshore wind from the WNW. The combined energy is moderate (222). It’s still not huge, but it’s clean and rideable – a solid session for the intermediate crew.
Tuesday the 25th holds similar 3ft NE swell, clean offshore wind in the morning again. Not a standout, but consistent.
Then we get to the main event. Saturday 29th August is the clear winner. The morning brings a clean 7ft NE swell with glassy conditions. The combined energy is strong (755). This is proper size – a bit much for beginners, but for the experienced surfer, it’s a cracker. The swell direction from the NE matches the optimum for the break, and with the wind dead calm, it’ll be clean and lined up. Could get a bit busy though – crowds are sometimes a factor here.
The afternoon of the 29th drops to 5ft and gets a cross-onshore breeze, so the morning is the window. Sunday the 30th is smaller again, but with some energy left over.
The very end of the run, Monday 31st August morning, is glassy but only 2ft – a flat spell to finish.
So, the standout is the morning of Saturday 29th August. Get on it. That’s the one to circle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 6 | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 6 | E 9 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 136 | 191 | 122 | 81 | 62 | 67 | 56 | 75 | 100 | 80 | 57 | 125 | 38 | 27 | 48 | 33 | 29 | 26 | 18 | 232 | 82 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 10:42AM1.34m | 10:47PM1.35m | 11:24AM1.34m | 11:31PM1.20m | 12:07PM1.32m | 00:18AM1.05m | 12:56PM1.29m | 1:14AM0.93m | 1:51PM1.26m | 2:26AM0.86m | 2:55PM1.25m | 3:47AM0.84m | 4:00PM1.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:42PM0.28m | 5:04AM0.20m | 5:34PM0.35m | 5:39AM0.29m | 6:30PM0.42m | 6:15AM0.39m | 7:35PM0.47m | 6:58AM0.47m | 8:49PM0.50m | 7:53AM0.53m | 10:06PM0.48m | 9:01AM0.55m | 11:09PM0.43m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | |  |  | |
 | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 11 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | S 9 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | E 9 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 30 | 191 | 54 | 68 | 55 | 67 | 56 | 51 | 55 | 57 | 57 | 125 | 38 | 27 | 48 | 33 | 29 | 26 | 18 | 232 | 82 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SE 7 | S 10 | S 9 | S 12 | S 8 | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | S 8 | E 11 | E 10 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | ENE 7 | NE 7 |
| kJ | 29 | 12 | 122 | 81 | 27 | 35 | 55 | 54 | 100 | 80 | 50 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 18 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 13 | S 10 | S 8 | S 8 | — | S 14 | S 13 | E 10 | — | SE 7 | SE 6 | — | S 18 | S 16 |
| kJ | 60 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 60 | 29 | 22 | 10 | — | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 6 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | ESE 6 | — | — | ESE 7 | — | — | ESE 7 | — | — | NE 3 | NNW 3 | NW 2 | NE 4 | — | WNW 2 | NW 2 | WSW 3 | SSW 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 136 | 55 | — | — | 62 | — | — | 75 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 367 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 245 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 172 | 38 | 5 |
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.
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