Surf Forecasts:
Wategos surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, ENE swell with 94 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Wategos in the next 16 days are 0.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 10s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wategos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.
We’ve got a long stretch ahead, and honestly, it’s a quiet one. The forecast is a bit of a slow burn with a lot of small, ordinary days, and a few gaps where there’s really nothing to write home about. There’s a gap right at the start from now until the morning of Thursday, August 27th, where we don’t see any surf worth mentioning.
The first real chance to get wet comes on Thursday, August 27th, at Wategos. It’s a point break, good for beginners, and it’s very consistent here. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The swell is small, only 2 ft from the east, with a short 8-second period, so the combined wave energy is pretty weak, reading just 88. The wind is blowing offshore from the SSW at 12 mph, which will keep the surface clean. It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. Thursday afternoon sees a slight bump to 3 ft from the ENE, still clean with a 12 mph SSE offshore breeze.
Friday, August 28th, is a bit of a letdown. The swell drops to 2 ft, and while the morning is clean with a light S wind, the conditions are poor. The afternoon turns cross-offshore, and it’s still poor.
Over the weekend, from Saturday, August 29th, through Monday, August 31st, we’re stuck in a rut. The swell stays tiny, between 1 ft and 2 ft, with weak energy readings around 30-58. The winds are offshore, but the waves just don’t have any push. This is a blank spell, so don’t expect much.
We get a brief flicker of hope on Tuesday, September 1st. The morning at Wategos sees 2 ft of east swell with a 10-second period, which is a little better for shape. The wind is light from the south at just 3 mph, making it glassy and clean. The energy is still weak, at 73, but it’s the best-looking morning of the early period. The afternoon turns poor with a cross-onshore wind.
The rest of the first week into the second week, from September 2nd to September 8th, is a write-off. The swell is small, the winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and conditions are poor. By Sunday, September 6th, the wind picks up to 19 mph from the north, and the swell jumps to 5 ft from the north-northeast, but with a period of just 6 seconds. That’s a short, messy, wind-driven swell, so it’s really only interesting for kite surfers, not paddle surfers. The energy reading is moderate at 186, but the quality is terrible.
The standout moment, if you can call it that, is on Wednesday, September 9th. The morning at Wategos has 2 ft of east swell with an 8-second period, but the wind is light from the SSE at 9 mph, blowing offshore. The energy is weak at 66, but it’s clean and surfable. It’s the best of a very quiet bunch.
The final days, September 10th and 11th, are glassy in the mornings but with tiny waves, barely 2 ft to 2 ft. The afternoons turn cross-onshore and choppy. Not much to get excited about.
Overall, there’s no real standout swell here. The best surf is on the mornings when the wind is light and offshore, but the waves are small. Keep your expectations low and your eyes on the forecast for the next change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
66 | 94 | 71 | 45 | 49 | 51 | 54 | 54 | 36 | 37 | 44 | 41 | 26 | 24 | 38 | 73 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 68 | 47 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:36PM1.67m | 7:52AM1.21m | 8:08PM1.69m | 8:27AM1.28m | 8:40PM1.65m | 9:03AM1.34m | 9:13PM1.58m | 9:41AM1.38m | 9:49PM1.47m | 10:23AM1.40m | 10:29PM1.32m | 11:12AM1.39m | 11:15PM1.16m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:06PM0.10m | 2:07AM0.10m | 1:42PM0.07m | 2:36AM0.05m | 2:20PM0.07m | 3:06AM0.03m | 2:59PM0.10m | 3:36AM0.04m | 3:41PM0.16m | 4:09AM0.07m | 4:29PM0.24m | 4:45AM0.13m | 5:26PM0.34m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
— | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 21 | 19 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 21 | 18 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | E 9 | SSE 10 | E 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | E 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | E 10 |
66 | 94 | 319 | 268 | 202 | 469 | 286 | 54 | 109 | 37 | 88 | 246 | 26 | 24 | 194 | 89 | 140 | 68 | 90 | 88 | 47 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | N 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 12 | E 8 | E 9 | NE 10 | E 8 | N 10 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | E 10 | E 10 | S 9 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 10 |
19 | 3 | 71 | 45 | 157 | 51 | 54 | 4 | 36 | 2 | 44 | 41 | 27 | 56 | 104 | 73 | 71 | 43 | 67 | 68 | 33 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | S 15 | SE 16 | SSE 15 | ENE 8 | NE 7 | NE 10 | — | NE 6 | NE 15 | NE 12 | NE 13 | NE 14 | NE 13 | ENE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 15 | SSE 12 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 |
3 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 49 | 2 | 4 | — | 2 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 38 | 35 | 45 | 54 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 10 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | S 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | N 3 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | N 4 |
231 | 268 | — | — | — | — | — | 325 | 230 | 624 | 286 | 52 | 315 | 284 | — | — | — | 3 | 9 | 24 | 29 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 229 | 1 | 1 | 216 | 1 |
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.











