Surf Forecasts:
Thirroul surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, SSE swell with 177 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s 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 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. 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 1.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) 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 0.2m 2s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, it’s Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming down the line for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, this isn’t the kind of run that gets you out of bed early. The first real nod of approval comes on Tuesday, the 18th of August, with a bit of an early window. We’ve got a small 3ft swell from the east-southeast, and the wind is glassy out of the east-northeast at a mere 3 mph. That’s as clean as it gets, but the wave energy is only moderate (212). It’s a short window, but for a dawny, it could be worth a paddle.
After that, things get messy. Wednesday and Thursday serve up tiny, ordinary conditions with a mix of cross-off and cross-shore winds. The swell drops to 1ft to 2ft, and the energy is weak (60-153). The wind is mostly light, but there’s just not enough push to get excited about.
We hit a real quiet patch from Friday, the 21st, right through to Sunday, the 23rd. The swell is tiny – 1ft to 2ft – and the energy is weak (15-96). Even with glassy conditions, it’s flat and pretty much a write-off. A couple of days with no real surf to speak of.
Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th offer a slight lift. The swell is still small, around 2ft to 2ft, but the energy picks up to moderate (103-145). The winds are light or glassy, which keeps it clean, but the waves are ordinary. The best of this period is Tuesday morning, the 25th, with glassy conditions and a 2ft bump from the east-northeast (energy 120). It’s not a standout, but it’s surfable.
The big news, and the only true standout in this whole 16-day window, arrives on Saturday, the 29th of August. The swell jumps to 7ft from the south, with a strong 1007 combined energy. That’s a real kick in the pants. However, the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore from the south-southwest, which is going to rip the surface to shreds. The wave period is 9 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, and it’s only for experts – over 8ft you’re looking at a serious paddle. For the average surfer, this is going to be a bumpy, lumpy mess. Saturday afternoon is a little smaller at 6ft, but still cross-shore.
Sunday, the 30th, keeps the size up. Morning is 7ft and afternoon is 8ft, both from the south-southeast, with energy readings of 771 and 1030. The wind stays moderate and cross-shore, so it’s still a choppy, expert-only affair. Monday, the 31st, is similar – 8ft in the morning, dropping to 6ft in the afternoon, with the energy peaking at 1469. The wind is moderate cross-shore, so it’s not clean.
The last gasp of the run comes Tuesday, the 1st of September. The swell is 5ft from the south-southeast, with a long 12-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The energy is strong (734), and the wind is light cross-onshore. It’s still only marginal, but the longer period could help shape it up a bit. This is your best bet for a cleanish wave in the second week, but don’t expect perfection.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a bust. The only real standout is the big swell from the 29th of August, but it’s blown out and only for the brave. The 1st of September offers the best combo of size and shape, but it’s a wait-and-see situation. Keep your eyes on the forecasts.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 6 | ESE 14 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSE 4 | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
79 | 61 | 102 | 82 | 74 | 81 | 37 | 49 | 39 | 36 | 26 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 127 | 66 | 113 | 120 | 90 | 89 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | on | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 4:57AM0.87m | 4:57PM1.32m | 5:49AM0.92m | 5:45PM1.38m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:09AM0.54m | 11:58PM0.37m | 11:07AM0.49m | 00:37AM0.30m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 21 | 18 | 14 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
60 | 53 | 60 | 54 | 42 | 24 | 21 | 47 | 39 | 36 | 26 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 127 | 53 | 113 | 120 | 90 | 89 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | E 10 | S 12 | S 11 | SE 7 | S 4 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 15 | S 11 | NE 4 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 |
55 | 35 | 102 | 82 | 74 | 81 | 37 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 43 | 66 | 11 | 15 | 30 | 20 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 14 | S 10 | S 8 | S 8 | E 9 | E 11 | S 13 | E 10 | E 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 4 | E 9 | S 20 | ENE 6 | — | NE 8 | NE 4 | S 16 | ENE 5 |
11 | 61 | 29 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | — | 11 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | — | E 8 | — | NE 3 | NNW 2 | NNW 2 | NE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | — | NE 9 | NE 4 | — | — | — |
79 | — | 72 | — | 5 | 1 | 1 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 12 | — | 20 | 17 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 6 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 338 | 348 | 338 | 328 | 175 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 2 | 118 |
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.











