
Surf Forecasts:
Thirroul surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 11 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 11s period, S swell with 536 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with SSE 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 7s. 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 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, let’s have a look at what’s comin’ down the pipe for the next couple weeks. Honestly, mate, it’s a bit of a slow burner. We’ve got a long stretch of pretty ordinary, small surf ahead, but there’s a few bright spots if you’re patient.
First up, from Thursday the 6th, it’s small. The swell is just a weak 3 ft from the south with a short period of 8 seconds and the combined energy is only 91. That’s pretty weak. The wind’s a light cross-off in the morning though, so it’ll be clean, but the waves themselves are ordinary. Thursday afternoon gets messy with a cross-on. The whole of Friday and Saturday are much the same story – small, weak, mostly clean morning windows but nothing to get excited about. Saturday morning the 8th does have a glassy moment with 2 ft from the south and energy at 89, but it’s tiny.
Sunday the 9th holds a little more energy, hitting 115 in the morning, but it’s still just 3 ft and from the ENE. The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but it’s not a classic. Monday the 10th sees a jump in energy to 365, but it’s a 5 ft ENE swell with a strong offshore wind – it’ll be clean, but the quality is poor, and that size at this spot can be a bit full-on for a beach and reef setup. It’s probably more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.
Then we hit a dry spell. From Tuesday the 11th right through to Wednesday the 19th, it’s all small, weak, and mostly poor. There’s a few clean mornings, but the swell barely breaks 2 ft most days, and the energy is low. It’s a real dead zone for about a week.
Finally, we get a genuine standout. The real action is on Friday the 14th of August. The morning starts with 4 ft of swell from the south, period 9 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 265. The wind is a light cross-off from the southwest, so it’ll be clean. But the afternoon is where it’s at – glassy conditions, 4 ft from the south, energy at 243. That’s the best on offer. The water temp is about 65°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.
Saturday the 15th morning has a bit more size at 5 ft from the south (10 second period) and a massive energy of 529, but the wind is a light cross, so it’s not perfect. That’s getting into the steep end for beginners anyway. The afternoon turns lumpy with a strong cross-shore. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th are messy again.
Looking further out, Friday the 21st of August has a bigger 7 ft SSE swell but it’s onshore, with a short period of 8 seconds. Combined energy is 582, but the wind is directly onshore, so it’s going to be a chop fest. Not recommended for a paddle.
So, the clear pick: Friday the 14th of August at Thirroul. Glassy afternoon, clean 4 ft south swell. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but the crowds can be there sometimes. For a beach and reef setup, that’s a bloody good chance to score. The rest of the window is mostly waiting for that.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Mon morning, light winds from the W by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 11 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
82 | 100 | 53 | 63 | 56 | 48 | 42 | 53 | 46 | 108 | 119 | 138 | 362 | 154 | 536 | 105 | 58 | 60 | 52 | 32 | 37 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off |
High Tide | 1:52PM1.36m | 2:15AM1.00m | 2:58PM1.41m | 3:39AM0.97m | 4:05PM1.49m | 4:58AM0.98m | 5:10PM1.58m | 6:05AM1.04m | 6:08PM1.67m | 7:01AM1.10m | 7:01PM1.73m | 7:50AM1.17m | 7:50PM1.75m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:30PM0.40m | 8:07AM0.36m | 9:51PM0.34m | 9:16AM0.39m | 11:05PM0.25m | 10:26AM0.38m | 00:08AM0.14m | 11:31AM0.33m | 1:02AM0.05m | 12:29PM0.28m | 1:50AM-0.01m | 1:23PM0.23m | 2:34AM-0.04m | ||||||||
6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 11 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | NNE 5 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
82 | 100 | 53 | 63 | 56 | 48 | 42 | 15 | 46 | 108 | 119 | 138 | 362 | 154 | 536 | 105 | 58 | 60 | 17 | 32 | 37 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 10 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | NE 4 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 14 | S 13 | S 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 6 | S 13 |
6 | 6 | 38 | 35 | 21 | 47 | 31 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 38 | 35 | 55 | 52 | 10 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | E 12 | E 10 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 16 | SSE 8 | S 6 | E 14 | SE 9 | — | — | NE 9 | SSE 11 | S 10 | N 7 | S 8 | S 7 | N 6 |
3 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 38 | 24 | 32 | 1 | 18 | 9 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 2 | — | W 3 | SSE 2 | — | — | ENE 8 | — | NNW 2 | NE 4 | NNE 6 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | W 4 | W 3 | — | NNE 4 | NW 4 | W 4 | W 5 |
— | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 53 | — | 1 | 18 | 160 | 14 | 38 | 9 | 1 | — | 3 | 12 | 21 | 90 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 201 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 94 | 155 | 183 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 280 | 241 |
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.











