Wategos Surf Break

Lat Long: 28.64° S 153.63° E

Wategos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 am 18 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Wategos sea temperature is
20.7° C
0.1° 

Wategos surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Wategos surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SE swell with 4,761 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period with E 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 10s 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 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1PM (Tue 21st Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 10s
Best Surf 1PM (Tue 21st Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 10s
Most Powerful10PM (Sat 18th Jul)15ft (4.5m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wategos over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G'day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s in store for Wategos over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a wild ride, to be honest.

We’ve got a huge pulse of swell coming through this weekend, but it’s going to be a real handful. Saturday morning the 18th, it’s already 7 ft from the ESE with a 9-second period, and the wind is howling offshore from the S at 25 mph. The combined energy is a solid 690, so there’s plenty of grunt, but those conditions are a battle. By Saturday afternoon, it jumps to 15 ft from the SE with a 10-second period, and the energy skyrockets to 3659 – that’s seriously strong. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a big, raw ocean. The wind is still a strong offshore, but it’s going to be incredibly hard to paddle into. Sunday the 19th is even bigger, with 16 ft SE swell and a 10-second period, energy hitting 5754. The wind is a cross-offshore from the SSE at 25 mph, keeping it clean, but this is for hardcore chargers only. The water temp is around 69°F, which is about average for this time of year.

After that, it slowly drops. Monday the 20th sees 10 ft ESE swell in the morning, energy of 1966, still with a cross-offshore breeze. It’s clean, but still big. By Tuesday the 21st, we’re looking at 7 ft from the E, 10-second period, and the wind drops to 9 mph. It’s still a cross-offshore, and the energy is down to 770. This is the best of the week for a confident surfer, with clean conditions and decent waves. Wednesday morning the 22nd is the last decent day of this run, with 5 ft from the E, and a light cross-offshore wind from the SW at just 3 mph. It’s clean and small.

Then the trough hits. From Wednesday afternoon the 22nd, things drop off a cliff. We’ve got small, weak swell for the rest of the week and into the next. Thursday the 23rd is 3 ft, Friday the 24th is 1.0 ft, and Saturday the 25th is 1 ft. The wind is mostly offshore or cross-offshore, keeping it clean, but there’s just no wave energy. The energy values are all two-digit numbers, like 23, 31, 66 – that’s weak. This flat spell stretches all the way through to the end of July. It’s a proper lull. On Monday the 27th, the period jumps to 12 seconds on a tiny 1.0 ft ESE swell, but it’s still a no-go. Tuesday the 28th has a 15-second period on 1 ft, but the energy is only 102 – it’s a ghost swell.

Now, look at the first of August. That’s the one to circle. Saturday morning the 1st of August, we’ve got 8 ft from the NNE with an 8-second period, and the energy is 691. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore from the SE at 9 mph. The forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is a standout. It’s a solid, punchy size, clean, and the swell direction is coming from the northeast, which is close to the optimum swell direction for Wategos. It’s a bit short-period, but it’s going to be a proper session. That afternoon, it’s still 8 ft but the energy jumps to 1446, though it’s noted as marginal for tide. Sunday the 2nd is still good, with 6 ft from the N, but it’s a step down.

So, to sum it up: no surf worth chasing right now. The weekend is way too big and messy unless you’re an absolute expert. The whole week between the 22nd and the 31st is flat. The standout is Saturday morning, the 1st of August, at Wategos. That’s your window. It’s a few weeks out, so keep an eye on the charts, but it looks promising. Because Wategos is a point break, that long-period energy we saw on the 28th of July would have been better for reefs, but the short-period stuff on the 1st of August will be fine here.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun night, min 17°C on Sat afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Sat morning, light winds from the SSE by Mon night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the SSE by Thu night).

Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
2
3
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.9
ESE
9
3
ESE
10
4.5
SE
10
4.5
SE
10
3.5
SE
10
4
ESE
10
3.5
ESE
10
3
ESE
10
2.3
E
10
2.2
E
10
1.9
E
9
1.7
E
9
1.4
E
9
1.3
E
8
1.2
E
8
1.1
E
8
1
E
8
0.8
E
8
0.6
E
9
0.5
E
9
0.1
NE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
633
1514
4234
4306
2458
3069
2345
1772
998
910
627
461
292
245
200
165
137
82
57
39
3
Wind (km/h)
40
S
45
S
40
SSE
40
SSE
40
SSE
35
SE
25
SE
30
SSE
20
SSE
15
SSE
15
SSE
5
ESE
5
SW
10
E
10
W
10
SW
20
SSE
30
S
30
S
30
SSE
25
SSE
Wind State
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
High Tide
10:51AM1.18m
11:04PM1.60m
11:42AM1.19m
11:44PM1.42m
12:36PM1.20m
00:25AM1.23m
1:35PM1.20m
1:11AM1.07m
2:40PM1.22m
2:09AM0.94m
3:45PM1.25m
3:24AM0.86m
4:46PM1.31m
Low Tide
4:35PM0.16m
5:38AM0.11m
5:26PM0.30m
6:16AM0.16m
6:22PM0.44m
6:55AM0.22m
7:31PM0.56m
7:39AM0.28m
8:57PM0.61m
8:30AM0.32m
10:27PM0.59m
9:30AM0.34m
11:37PM0.52m
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
mod rain
cloud
cloud
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:35
6:35
6:35
6:35
6:33
6:33
6:33
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:07
5:07
5:07
5:07
5:08
5:08
5:09
 mm
2
3
8
4
3
3
1
1
1
1
6
3
Temp °C
18
17
18
18
18
19
19
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
17
19
18
17
17
16
16
Feels °C
11
10
12
12
12
14
15
13
14
16
17
17
18
17
17
17
15
12
10
10
11
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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