Surf Forecasts:
Wategos surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, ENE swell with 250 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period with ENE 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 Saturday (Aug 22) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 3s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Wategos in the next 16 days are 1.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wategos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.
Straight up, the whole 16-day window is a bit of a struggle. We’ve got a long, flat start with nothing worth paddling out for. The first real chance to get wet doesn’t show up until Sunday the 23rd of August, and even then, it’s pretty average. The waves are small, the energy is weak (99), and it’s just ordinary surf. We’re looking at about a week of small, weak, ordinary waves before anything interesting happens.
The standout in this whole period, if you can call it that, is the morning of Thursday the 27th of August. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the ENE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the wind is a gentle offshore from the SSW. That’s going to give us clean, lined-up waves at Wategos. The energy is still moderate (181), but it’s the best combination of size and clean conditions we’ll see. The morning of Friday the 28th of August is also worth a look, with glassy conditions and a 3ft swell from the E, but it’s a bit smaller. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
After that, things get a bit messy again. The weekend of the 29th and 30th of August has some bigger swell (4ft to 6ft), but the wind is strong and the period is short, making it pretty blown out. The morning of the 29th has a 4ft ENE swell and a moderate offshore, but the wave energy is surprisingly high (459) for what’s on offer. It’s not great for paddling, but if you’ve got a kite, that setup might be more interesting.
The first week of September keeps the small, average theme going. The morning of Tuesday the 1st of September is glassy with a 4ft swell from the E, but it’s still ordinary. The 3rd of September sees a little pulse with a 3ft swell from the E and a period of 11 seconds, which is a bit longer period, giving the waves a bit more shape. Winds are offshore, so it’s clean, but still small.
All in all, there’s no epic swell in the 16-day window. The best bet is to aim for the 27th of August morning, or the 28th of August morning if you’re after glassy conditions. Everything else is small, ordinary, or blown out. Don’t hold your breath for a big session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 20°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 49 | 41 | 66 | 53 | 51 | 79 | 89 | 78 | 57 | 61 | 68 | 127 | 134 | 244 | 201 | 183 | 170 | 168 | 168 | 142 | 103 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 3:05PM1.21m | 3:01AM0.80m | 4:16PM1.27m | 4:25AM0.83m | 5:11PM1.35m | 5:23AM0.89m | 5:54PM1.45m | 6:06AM0.97m | 6:31PM1.55m | 6:44AM1.05m | 7:04PM1.62m | 7:18AM1.13m | 7:36PM1.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:07PM0.59m | 8:54AM0.42m | 11:16PM0.51m | 10:07AM0.38m | 00:01AM0.41m | 11:04AM0.31m | 00:36AM0.32m | 11:49AM0.23m | 1:08AM0.23m | 12:29PM0.16m | 1:38AM0.16m | 1:06PM0.10m | 2:07AM0.10m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 16 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 49 | 41 | 66 | 53 | 51 | 79 | 89 | 78 | 57 | 61 | 68 | 127 | 134 | 244 | 201 | 183 | 170 | 168 | 168 | 142 | 103 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 11 | NE 7 | SSE 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 15 | NE 9 |
| kJ | 38 | 36 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 25 | 25 | 48 | 75 | 53 | 51 | 31 | 17 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 78 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 13 | E 11 | ESE 10 | SSE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | NE 9 | SSE 13 | S 8 | S 16 | S 17 | SE 17 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 15 | S 14 | S 15 | S 6 |
| kJ | 39 | 23 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 65 | 21 | 46 | 23 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 24 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNE 3 | — | NW 3 | NNE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | SW 2 | S 4 | SSE 5 | — |
| kJ | — | 4 | — | 1 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 1 | 13 | 24 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 210 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 229 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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