
Surf Forecasts:
Thirroul surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 14 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 6s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 2,413 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 6s period with NE 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 20) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks. It’s a mixed bag at best, but there are a couple of windows if you’re keen.
We’re looking at a beach-and-reef set-up that’s exposed to the swell, which is a good start, but for the first few days it’s looking pretty flat and messy. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is about normal for this time of year. Nothing special to report there.
Monday 14th kicks things off with tiny 2 ft S swell, but that’s about it. The wind is a light cross-off from the N in the morning, so it’s clean, but the energy is weak (152 combined energy). It’s surfable but very ordinary. Afternoon turns to a cross-shore NE wind and a weak 3 ft NE windswell with a shocker 6-second period that just won’t hold a face. Poor.
Tuesday 15th is even worse. Tiny 2 ft NE swell on the morning with a cross wind, and the afternoon gets a bump from the S at 12 mph that just chops everything up. Not worth paddling out.
The first real standout comes in the middle of the week. Wednesday 16th morning is a serious proposition, but only for experienced surfers. We’ve got a solid 10 ft S swell rolling in, with a good 10-second period and a massive shot of energy (1706 combined energy). The wind is a cross S/SW breeze at 19 mph, which is fresh and lumpy, so it’s going to be a battle. That size is definitely expert territory, and the cross-off wind will hold it open but it’s going to be a grinding, heavy day. The afternoon gets worse as it goes cross-onshore.
Thursday 17th is a step down but still has some grunt. A 8 ft SSE swell (930 combined energy) with a light cross S wind in the morning. It’s a marginal call—big enough to be fun for the experienced, but the quality is just okay. The afternoon turns onshore from the ESE, making it a write-off.
Friday 18th morning is your next real highlight. This is the best on offer in the whole forecast. We’ve got a nice, clean 4 ft SSE swell (310 combined energy) with glassy conditions, dead flat wind from the NE. The swell period is 9 seconds, so it’s a decent groundswell that will give you some nice lines at this spot. Crowds are sometimes a thing here, so get in early. This is the session to circle.
The rest of the 18th and the 19th drop off into tiny, weak surf. By Saturday 19th afternoon, you’re looking at 2 ft S swell (79 combined energy) and glassy conditions, but it’s just small and unexciting.
Sunday 20th is almost flat. Truly tiny 1.0 ft S swell and then a laughable 0.7 ft SSE swell with a ridiculously long 20-second period (55 combined energy) in the afternoon. That long period will make it incredibly inconsistent and hard to catch on a beach-and-reef set-up.
Monday 21st afternoon shows a sudden bump to 7 ft SSE swell (710 combined energy) but it’s straight onshore from the ESE. It will be a wind-blown mess. Not good.
Tuesday 22nd morning has a 6 ft SSE swell (770 combined energy) with a nice 11-second period, which means proper groundswell energy. The cross NE wind at 9 mph will create a slight chop, but it’s a decent option for the more experienced. The wave energy is solid, but the quality is marginal.
From Wednesday 23rd right through to the end of the forecast on Tuesday 29th September, it’s a long stretch of poor to terrible conditions. The swell stays small to moderate (mostly 3 ft to 6 ft) but the wind is nearly always cross or cross-onshore from the N/NE, bringing chop and no real quality. A lot of these days have combined energy in the 200-700 range, which is weak to moderate, but the wind just ruins the surface. Sunday 27th and Monday 28th bring rain and stronger S/SE winds on top of it, and that’s just a write-off for paddle surfing. Honestly, that stretch of the 23rd to 29th looks more interesting for kite surfing than a surfboard, especially with the cross-shore wind.
So, to wrap it up: the two true standouts are Wednesday 16th morning if you’re a big-wave hound and can handle the 10 ft close-outs and lumpy wind, and Friday 18th morning for the rest of us, with clean 4 ft glassy lines. After that, it’s a long, frustrating gap of poor conditions.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 25°C on Mon morning, min 8°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Mon night, fresh winds from the S by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
85 | 66 | 78 | 50 | 82 | 933 | 1667 | 1677 | 2335 | 920 | 554 | 315 | 276 | 211 | 108 | 73 | 51 | 26 | 15 | 39 | 30 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | on | off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | glassy | off |
High Tide | 10:18PM1.22m | 10:37AM1.41m | 11:00PM1.09m | 11:17AM1.36m | 11:46PM0.98m | 12:02PM1.30m | 00:43AM0.90m | 12:58PM1.25m | 1:57AM0.85m | 2:06PM1.22m | 3:21AM0.85m | 3:17PM1.23m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 4:18PM0.23m | 4:14AM0.28m | 5:05PM0.29m | 4:47AM0.37m | 5:56PM0.37m | 5:23AM0.46m | 6:56PM0.43m | 6:08AM0.53m | 8:07PM0.47m | 7:08AM0.59m | 9:23PM0.47m | 8:26AM0.60m | 10:27PM0.42m | ||||||||
5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | |
— | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 26 | 25 | 18 | 29 | 29 | 21 |
Feels °C | 22 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 23 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 26 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | S 10 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 14 | NE 12 | E 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 11 | NE 5 |
54 | 56 | 78 | 50 | 38 | 7 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 920 | 554 | 315 | 276 | 211 | 108 | 73 | 51 | 26 | 15 | 9 | 9 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | E 13 | SSE 10 | S 9 | E 13 | E 14 | ENE 14 | E 15 | — | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | — | E 11 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 |
85 | 13 | 31 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 59 | 50 | 55 | 25 | — | 2 | 39 | 30 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | S 15 | E 12 | E 12 | S 9 | S 16 | — | — | — | S 19 | S 19 | S 19 | E 13 | E 12 | ENE 3 | NE 4 | E 12 | SE 16 | S 18 | E 9 | S 10 |
13 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 6 | — | SSW 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | NW 2 | — | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | NE 4 | NNW 2 |
— | 66 | — | 4 | 82 | 933 | 1667 | 1677 | 2335 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 100 | 0 | 2 | 1279 | 39 | 824 | 658 | 5 | 5 | 124 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 139 | 0 | 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.










