
Surf Forecasts:
Thirroul surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, S swell with 1,107 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period with S 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 (Sep 04) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thirroul in the next 16 days are 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thirroul over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Thirroul.
It’s a bit of a slow start for the next few days, but hold on, because there’s some real quality on the horizon. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Thursday 3rd September is a write-off. We’ve got tiny 2ft southerly slop and a cross-off wind that’s just not doing us any favours at all. The energy is weak (79), and the conditions are poor. Don’t even bother.
Friday 4th September morning finally shows a pulse of life. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the south, with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind swings light offshore from the NW at only 3 mph. The combined energy jumps to 217 (moderate), and the conditions are clean. This is the first real window of the outlook. The afternoon gets messy though, with a drop in size and a cross-shore wind, so get on it early.
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th morning are a mixed bag. Saturday is tiny again at 2ft, but Sunday morning has a clean 4ft south swell with light offshore winds (SW 6 mph) and a healthy energy reading of 227. That Sunday morning session is worth a look, but the afternoon gets blown out by a cross-onshore wind.
Monday 7th September morning is a real highlight. The swell holds at 4ft from the south, the wind is dead calm – glassy conditions with a NNW breeze at 3 mph. Combined energy is 185 (moderate). It’s surfable, but the period is only 8 seconds, so it’s a bit short period – not the best shape, but the lack of wind makes it super clean.
Tuesday 8th September morning is a big one. We’ve got a solid 8ft south swell rolling in with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a massive 1408 (strong). However, the wind is a cross-shore from the SSW at 9 mph, which is going to put a bit of a chop on it. This is getting into the bigger range – over 8ft, so it’s really only for experienced surfers. The afternoon drops to 5ft with an onshore wind, which is messy.
Thursday 10th September morning is interesting. The swell is back to 3ft, but the period is a very long 16 seconds – proper groundswell. The energy is 1154 (strong). The wind is a cross-shore from the south at 9 mph. This long period stuff is going to be a bit tricky on a beach break like Thirroul; it might be better on a point or reef, but it’s still a big, powerful swell.
The absolute standout is Friday 11th September. This is the pick of the whole run. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell from the SSE, with a period of 11 seconds, giving a combined energy of 789 (moderate to strong). The best part? The wind is glassy – a light offshore from the ESE at 3 mph. The forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is the one. Get out there Friday morning, it’ll be clean and punchy.
Saturday 12th September morning still has a decent 4ft SSE swell with a 12-second period and a cross-off wind from the north at 9 mph. The energy is 376 (moderate). It’s clean, but not as good as Friday.
After that, from Sunday 13th September through to the end of the period, the surf really drops off. We’re looking at tiny 1ft to 2ft swells with very weak energy for the rest of the run. There’s a little spike on Wednesday 16th September morning – a 2ft NE swell, but the period is a very short 6 seconds, so it’s not going to be anything special. The final days, 17th and 18th, show a return of some very long-period SSE groundswell (18 seconds) but at tiny sizes (0.6ft to 2ft). The energy picks up a bit on the 18th (230-275), but it’s still small.
So, to wrap it up: the first few days are a bust. If you can, Friday 11th September morning is the clear winner. Sunday 6th and Monday 7th mornings are also decent options if you can’t wait. The second week is mostly flat and not worth getting excited about, though the 18th has a little glassy bump.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Fri morning, strong winds from the W by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 7 | S 11 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
53 | 52 | 32 | 190 | 54 | 57 | 41 | 43 | 23 | 201 | 194 | 326 | 177 | 80 | 406 | 785 | 234 | 244 | 172 | 142 | 695 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 12:22PM1.41m | 00:56AM1.01m | 1:27PM1.40m | 2:19AM0.94m | 2:40PM1.42m | 3:46AM0.95m | 3:54PM1.47m | 5:00AM1.00m | 4:59PM1.53m | 5:58AM1.09m | 5:56PM1.59m | 6:46AM1.18m | 6:46PM1.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:04PM0.34m | 6:40AM0.40m | 8:25PM0.34m | 7:50AM0.45m | 9:47PM0.30m | 9:09AM0.46m | 10:57PM0.22m | 10:24AM0.42m | 11:54PM0.14m | 11:28AM0.35m | 00:42AM0.07m | 12:24PM0.27m | 1:23AM0.03m | ||||||||
6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
— | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 22 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 28 | 27 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 18 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 22 | 22 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 7 | S 7 | S 9 | NE 6 | NE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 8 | S 8 | E 10 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 9 | SSE 15 |
53 | 52 | 32 | 190 | 54 | 24 | 41 | 27 | 23 | 201 | 194 | 326 | 177 | 80 | 9 | 621 | 234 | 244 | 172 | 8 | 42 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 10 | S 11 | E 9 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 7 | SSE 12 | NE 6 | NNE 7 | SE 10 | NE 8 | E 11 | E 10 | SE 10 | E 10 | S 16 | ENE 9 |
19 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 57 | 7 | 43 | 16 | 17 | 189 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 7 | E 10 | E 5 | E 9 | E 11 | E 11 | NE 7 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 3 | — | — | N 9 | E 10 | — | E 16 | E 16 |
7 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | 5 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 3 | W 3 | — | ENE 3 | — | NNE 5 | WNW 4 | WSW 4 | — | — | — | NW 2 | W 2 | SSE 8 | S 9 | — | — | — | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
— | 4 | 6 | — | 1 | — | 14 | 13 | 11 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 406 | 785 | — | — | — | 142 | 695 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 89 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 658 | 86 | 5 | 98 | 0 | 48 | 682 | 48 |
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.










