
Surf Forecasts:
Wollongong North Beach surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 12s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 12s period, ENE swell with 770 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Wollongong North Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Wollongong North Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Wollongong North Beach in the next 16 days are 1.7m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 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 1.1m 9s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Wollongong North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. It’s been a flat spell on the South Coast, and to be honest, the whole 16-day window looks like a bit of a struggle. We’ve got a real gap at the start—Friday arvo and Saturday are just not worth paddling out for, with tiny waves and onshore vibes. The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Sunday the 19th, and it’s a beauty, but then it fades fast. After Monday the 20th, the swell drops off a cliff, and from Tuesday the 21st onwards, it’s basically a long stretch of knee-high slop and clean but empty conditions. There’s a solid run of poor surf from the 22nd right through to the end of the month, with barely a ripple to get excited about. It’s one of those blank runs that’s pretty normal for the area when the windows don’t line up.
Wollongong North Beach (Wollongong-North-Beach) – exposed to ENE swell, and that’s the one direction that’ll fire it up. The real standout is Sunday morning, the 19th of July. The swell bumps up to 6 ft from the ENE, with a period of 11 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, got some grunt behind it. The energy is solid at 743 (moderate), and with a light S wind at 6 mph blowing cross-offshore, it’s going to be clean as a whistle. This is the best on offer, no question. It’s an advanced break, so if you’re not dialled in, maybe sit this one out. The water temp is sitting around 65°F, which is about normal for this time of year, no big anomaly there. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have a few locals out, but it won’t be a zoo. The morning session is the one to aim for – the afternoon sees a shift to a cross breeze and a slightly smaller 6 ft swell, still decent but not as glassy. The period’s a touch long for a beach break, so expect longer lulls and waves that might wall up a bit, but at this size, it’ll still be fun.
After that peak, Monday morning the 20th offers 5 ft from the ENE with a 10-second period and a NNW wind at 6 mph, but it’s cross-shore, so there’s a bit of texture on the face. The energy drops to 451 – still surfable, but not as punchy. By Monday afternoon, a NE wind at 12 mph blows onshore, and it’s game over. Tuesday the 21st morning is glassy with 4 ft from the ENE, but the period’s still 10 seconds and it’s small, so it’s more of a longboard cruise than a proper session. From Wednesday the 22nd onward, it’s a downhill slide – tiny waves, dropping energy, and by the time we hit the end of July, we’re looking at 0.3 ft to 1.0 ft and clean conditions that are just empty. There’s a brief flicker of very long period swell from the SE on the 27th and 28th, with periods up to 16 seconds, but the swell height is 0.7 ft to 1.0 ft – that’s barely a bump. The energy is weak (15 to 49), and it’s not going to break properly.
So, bottom line: if you’ve got a window, make it Sunday morning, the 19th of July. That’s the standout. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for paddle surfing. The water’s average temp, the winds are mostly clean but the swell just isn’t there. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, I’d be polishing the board and waiting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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 5 | E 7 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
14 | 38 | 31 | 44 | 157 | 731 | 619 | 520 | 451 | 404 | 331 | 269 | 263 | 218 | 129 | 96 | 73 | 68 | 66 | 46 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:31PM1.62m | 11:24AM1.22m | 11:19PM1.47m | 12:12PM1.24m | 00:06AM1.30m | 1:02PM1.25m | 00:57AM1.14m | 1:53PM1.26m | 1:54AM1.01m | 2:46PM1.28m | 3:01AM0.92m | 3:41PM1.29m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:10PM0.28m | 5:13AM0.04m | 5:05PM0.34m | 5:54AM0.13m | 6:03PM0.40m | 6:34AM0.22m | 7:06PM0.46m | 7:14AM0.31m | 8:15PM0.49m | 7:57AM0.39m | 9:28PM0.50m | 8:45AM0.45m | 10:38PM0.47m | |||||||
— | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | |
mm | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | E 7 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 7 |
14 | 38 | 31 | 44 | 157 | 731 | 619 | 520 | 451 | 404 | 331 | 269 | 263 | 218 | 129 | 96 | 73 | 68 | 66 | 75 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 17 | S 16 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 16 | ENE 9 |
21 | 71 | 46 | 27 | 22 | 143 | 126 | 110 | 139 | 93 | 57 | 54 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 23 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 46 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | S 21 | SSE 21 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 | SE 17 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SE 14 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | S 12 | S 3 | — | S 16 | E 8 |
11 | 9 | 42 | 38 | 64 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | — | S 3 | S 3 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 2 | NNW 3 | — | — | — | NW 2 | SSW 3 | — | S 4 | S 9 | — |
31 | — | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 7 | 185 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Wollongong North Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Wollongong North Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Wollongong North Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Wollongong North Beach 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 (Wollongong North Beach) 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 Wollongong North Beach 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Illawarra? If you are looking for accommodation near Wollongong North Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Illawarra, consider staying in Wollongong which is 3 km (2 miles) away. Other places in and around Illawarra where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Port Kembla which is 9 km (6 miles) away, Engadine, Cronulla and Caringbah.










