Surf Forecasts:
Wategos surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 11s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 11s period, ESE swell with 878 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 9s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Wategos this week:
The surf forecast for Wategos over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 1.1m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Wategos in the next 16 days are 1.9m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wategos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you—this stretch ahead is a bit of a waiting game. The surf’s pretty flat to start, and we’ve got a long gap before anything really gets going. The first decent window doesn’t open until Wednesday the 19th of August, so mark that date.
From now until then, it’s mostly small, weak junk with easterly wind messing things up. Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th have some chest-high swell, but the wind is cross-off and the period is short, so it’s all pretty messy. Not worth paddling out for.
Wednesday the 19th is where we finally see a pulse. Wategos, a point break that’s beginner-friendly and very consistent, picks up a 5 ft swell from the SE with a period of 11 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, and with the light S wind at 6 mph going offshore, it’ll be clean. The combined energy hits 604 (moderate) and the water temp is 68°F—about normal for this time of year. Thursday morning the 20th also offers a solid 6 ft ESE swell with light SW wind, but that deteriorates by the afternoon as the wind shifts onshore. Wednesday is your standout. It’s not huge, but the conditions line up nicely.
After that, it’s a long run of poor surf. Friday the 21st through to the end of the month is mostly flat to small, with onshore or cross-onshore winds and weak energy. There’s a small spike on Wednesday the 26th with 5 ft from the SE, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore, making it a choppy mess—more of a kite-surf day than anything for a paddle board. The last few days of August and into the 31st are glassy and tiny, with the combined energy dropping to single digits. Nothing to get excited about.
So, to sum it up: Wednesday the 19th of August at Wategos is your best bet. Clean, chest-high groundswell with offshore wind. Don’t sleep on it, because the rest of the outlook is a flat spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 21°C on Sat morning, min 14°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) | E 10 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 31 | 420 | 372 | 392 | 403 | 473 | 513 | 512 | 505 | 437 | 262 | 319 | 216 | 253 | 152 | 131 | 132 | 106 | 138 | 153 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:23PM1.46m | 11:00AM1.32m | 10:58PM1.28m | 11:48AM1.28m | 11:35PM1.11m | 12:42PM1.24m | 00:20AM0.96m | 1:49PM1.21m | 1:26AM0.85m | 3:05PM1.21m | 3:01AM0.80m | 4:16PM1.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:11PM0.18m | 4:44AM0.11m | 4:57PM0.32m | 5:17AM0.18m | 5:49PM0.45m | 5:52AM0.26m | 6:54PM0.56m | 6:36AM0.34m | 8:25PM0.62m | 7:36AM0.40m | 10:07PM0.59m | 8:54AM0.42m | 11:16PM0.51m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — |
mm | 2 | 4 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | S 7 | S 7 | ENE 9 | E 10 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 31 | 17 | 68 | 27 | 28 | 16 | 513 | 307 | 505 | 437 | 262 | 319 | 216 | 253 | 152 | 131 | 132 | 106 | 138 | 153 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | SSE 17 | ENE 8 | E 10 | ENE 9 | S 10 | SE 15 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | NE 9 | SE 8 | S 14 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | ENE 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 7 | 59 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 31 | 8 | 110 | 99 | 70 | 73 | 3 | 69 | 4 | 23 | 22 | 14 | 47 | 5 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 17 | E 15 | SSE 18 | SE 17 | E 13 | S 13 | SE 14 | ESE 12 | S 16 | S 8 | ESE 12 | — | — | — | S 13 | S 12 | E 12 | SSE 7 | E 10 | S 9 |
| kJ | 29 | 4 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 48 | 129 | 5 | 12 | 27 | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | — | ESE 9 | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 222 | 420 | 372 | 392 | 403 | 473 | — | 512 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 13 | 1 | 53 | 53 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 256 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Wategos surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Wategos Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Wategos provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Wategos can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Wategos 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 (Wategos) 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 Wategos 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.
Wategos is 27 km (17 miles) from Ballina. If you plan a holiday in North Coast - New South Wales, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ballina. Ballina has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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