
Surf Forecasts:
Wategos surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, SE swell with 2,327 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period with SE 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 (Sep 12) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 8s period. 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 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.5m 10s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wategos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for Wategos over the next couple of weeks. I’ve gotta be straight with you – this is a bit of a waiting game. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing special before a late blast of energy that’ll get the heart pumping, but you need to pick your moment.
The first real chance of a wave comes Saturday the 12th, but it’s nothing to write home about. We’re looking at a 5 ft SE swell, period hanging around 8 seconds, so a bit short and weak. The combined energy is only moderate at 386, and with a cross-off breeze from the SSE, it’ll be clean enough but pretty ordinary. The water is sitting at 69°F, which is about average for this time of year, no surprises there. That carries through to Sunday the 13th with even smaller swell – 3 ft to 4 ft – and still not much punch.
Then things go flat. From Monday the 14th right through to Tuesday the 22nd, it’s a long, bleak run of tiny, weak, or onshore junk. You’ll see days of 2 ft to 3 ft with periods as low as 4-6 seconds and combined energy barely scraping double digits. There’s a morning on the 16th with a strong offshore from the S, but the swell is only 2 ft – clean but unsurfable. That’s a solid week-plus with nothing worth paddling for.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Mark your calendars for Friday the 18th of September. The whole pattern changes. A solid 12 ft SE swell rolls in, period bumping to 10-11 seconds. That’s a serious amount of energy – we’re talking a combined energy of 2186 (strong). The wind is a cross-off from the SSE, so it’ll be clean. But hold up – this is a point break, and that long-period swell off a SE direction isn’t its absolute favorite. It’s on the optimum side of NE. Still, for size and energy, this is the standout of the whole window. It’s going to be big – over 8 ft – so this is strictly for experienced surfers only. Beginners, stay on the beach for this one.
The next day, Saturday the 19th of September, still has plenty of leftover muscle – 8 ft from the SE with a 12-second period (very long period groundswell) and energy at 1398. But the wind turns cross-on from the NNE, messing up the surface a bit. The quality fades through the afternoon. After that, it drops back to junk again into the final week, with a few small, clean, but weak days around the 23rd and 26th offering 3 ft to 5 ft – surfable but nothing to get excited about.
So, the one true stand-out is Friday morning, the 18th of September at Wategos. Big SE groundswell, clean offshore breeze, and plenty of grunt. It’s a long way out, so don’t bet the farm on it yet, but if it holds, that’s the session. Otherwise, it’s a whole lot of waiting.
Stay patient, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. 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 7mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 22°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Tue night, strong winds from the S by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 5 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NNE 4 | N 5 | E 6 | E 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | NE 12 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
355 | 266 | 116 | 66 | 199 | 176 | 14 | 22 | 33 | 28 | 21 | 34 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2180 | 2150 | 2227 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:38PM1.58m | 9:03AM1.46m | 9:12PM1.44m | 9:41AM1.46m | 9:46PM1.29m | 10:20AM1.43m | 10:20PM1.14m | 11:03AM1.36m | 10:58PM1.00m | 11:54AM1.29m | 11:46PM0.89m | 12:58PM1.22m | 1:01AM0.81m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:25PM0.04m | 2:54AM0.02m | 3:07PM0.12m | 3:23AM0.07m | 3:50PM0.21m | 3:53AM0.13m | 4:34PM0.32m | 4:24AM0.21m | 5:24PM0.43m | 4:59AM0.30m | 6:26PM0.52m | 5:44AM0.39m | 7:51PM0.57m | ||||||||
5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | |
— | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | |
mm | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | SSE 20 | SSE 9 | ESE 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | N 5 | E 13 | — | — | — | NE 12 | S 18 | — | SE 12 |
16 | 38 | 126 | 66 | 199 | 176 | 125 | 107 | 33 | 28 | 15 | 24 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | — | 2227 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 20 | E 13 | SSE 18 | SSE 10 | SSE 18 | E 10 | E 5 | E 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | S 18 | NE 12 | — | S 18 |
15 | 14 | 67 | 173 | 34 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 78 | 57 | 37 | 18 | 18 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 6 | — | 26 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 20 | E 13 | E 9 | SSE 20 | E 11 | SSE 16 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 12 | E 12 | E 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
30 | 3 | 6 | 78 | 2 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | — | — | — | — | E 6 | NNW 2 | N 3 | NNE 4 | N 5 | S 5 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | S 10 |
355 | 266 | 116 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 34 | 97 | 1811 | 3511 | 3291 | 2925 | 2846 | 2180 | 2150 | 327 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 257 | 6 | 94 | 693 | 1 | 256 | 1331 | 58 | 53 | 274 | 53 | 2 | 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.










