Surf Forecasts:
Towradgi surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period, ESE swell with 197 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Towradgi this week:
The surf forecast for Towradgi over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Towradgi in the next 16 days are 1.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Towradgi over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—looking at the next couple of weeks for Towradgi, it’s a pretty bleak stretch for a while. There’s a run of tiny, messy, and just plain ordinary surf that’ll have you checking your board for dust. We’re talking days and days of small, cross-onshore slop with barely enough energy to push you around. It’s not going to be worth paddling out for much at all until we get to the very end of the month. Once we hit the 31st of August, though, things finally switch on.
Right now, starting Sunday the 16th, the water’s sitting at 64°, which is about average for this time of year. Not warm, not cold—just standard. The surf, though, is poor. A small 3ft south swell with an 11-second period is getting chopped up by a cross-onshore wind. It’s a bit of a tease, really. That pattern holds through the week—Monday sees a tiny 2ft south pulse, all rippled, then Tuesday morning has a moment of glassy calm but with only 3ft of short-period east-southeast slop. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for a wave, and the conditions are still ordinary. The energy’s weak too—just 153 to 268 units, nothing that’ll have your heart racing.
Into the middle of the week, the swell gets even smaller. Wednesday afternoon, a moderate cross-onshore wind and only 3ft of east-southeast swell—again, poor. Thursday stays small, with weak energy dropping below 100. Friday and Saturday are pure flatness and bad winds—honestly, you’d be better off checking the tide pools. By Sunday the 23rd, it’s still tiny, and a fresh cross-onshore breeze makes it lumpy as anything. The energy is up and down, but never enough to matter. I’m telling you, there is a big block of nothing from the 16th all the way through the 30th. It’s a solid two weeks of not much, unless you’re desperate.
Now, the one bright spot—and it’s a proper one—is the final day of the period. On Monday the 31st of August, things finally fire. A solid south swell rolls in, picking up to 8ft in the morning with a period of 9 seconds, and the energy jumps way up to 1032 units. By the afternoon, it’s even better: 10ft of south swell, 1791 units of energy, and a clean offshore west-southwest breeze. This is the standout of the whole outlook. This is not for beginners—when it’s over 8ft, you need to know what you’re doing. The wind will be offshore, so it should be clean and lined up, and this reef of yours should handle it. It’s still a week and a half away, so treat it as promising but don’t book the day off yet—long-range calls are always less certain.
So keep it on your radar, but don’t bother waxing up before then. The 31st is the day, and it looks like one for the experienced crew. I’d be getting excited about that one.
Stay salty,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 | S 10 | S 9 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | S 11 | ESE 6 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 9 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
191 | 122 | 81 | 78 | 68 | 68 | 60 | 102 | 82 | 197 | 127 | 36 | 66 | 50 | 31 | 26 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 10:56PM1.49m | 11:31AM1.40m | 11:37PM1.33m | 12:15PM1.38m | 00:20AM1.18m | 1:03PM1.37m | 1:10AM1.05m | 1:57PM1.36m | 2:14AM0.97m | 2:58PM1.37m | 3:36AM0.93m | 3:59PM1.41m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:47PM0.38m | 5:16AM0.32m | 5:36PM0.46m | 5:50AM0.41m | 6:31PM0.55m | 6:24AM0.50m | 7:34PM0.62m | 7:02AM0.57m | 8:51PM0.66m | 7:50AM0.63m | 10:13PM0.64m | 8:49AM0.66m | 11:17PM0.58m | |||||||
— | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | |
5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | S 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 10 | E 9 | E 6 | E 11 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 |
191 | 52 | 64 | 69 | 68 | 68 | 52 | 55 | 51 | 197 | 127 | 36 | 2 | 50 | 31 | 26 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | S 10 | S 9 | S 12 | S 8 | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 8 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 6 | S 5 |
12 | 122 | 81 | 27 | 35 | 55 | 35 | 102 | 82 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 13 | S 10 | S 8 | — | — | E 11 | S 13 | E 10 | SW 4 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 8 | S 8 |
10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 60 | 29 | 11 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | — | — | ESE 6 | — | ENE 6 | — | NE 5 | — | ENE 5 | — | NE 5 | ENE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
55 | — | — | 78 | — | 28 | — | 9 | — | 24 | — | 21 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 31 | 5 | 5 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 0 | 23 | 20 | 353 | 353 | 363 | 353 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Towradgi Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Towradgi provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Towradgi can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Towradgi 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 (Towradgi) 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 Towradgi 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.
Towradgi is 4 km (2 miles) from the city of Port Kembla. If you plan a holiday in Illawarra, look for hotels and other accommodation in Port Kembla. Port Kembla has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











