Surf Forecasts:
Woolgoolga Back Beach surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 9s period, S swell with 705 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Woolgoolga Back Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Woolgoolga Back Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 1.0m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Woolgoolga Back Beach in the next 16 days are 2.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Woolgoolga Back Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this stretch is shaping up as a patience game. Woolgoolga Back Beach is a beginner-friendly, exposed SE spot that’s fairly consistent, but the first week-plus is mostly a write-off with poor surf conditions. There’s a long gap of flat to tiny, messy waves through to the end of the first week, with nothing worth paddling out for until we hit the second week of September. The water temp is sitting at a pretty standard 68°F, about average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick wetsuit straight away.
Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th of August – forget it. Onshore slop with S/SSE swell around 4ft to 5ft, short 8-10 second periods, and moderate cross-onshore winds making it choppy and ugly. Combined energy is weak to moderate (276-631), but the quality is just poor. Monday the 31st is more of the same – 3-4ft of short-period S/SE swell with onshore wind. Not worth a look.
Tuesday the 1st of September sees a drop in size to a tiny 3ft from the SSE, but we get a rare clean window with a light N cross-off breeze in the morning. It’s surfable but very ordinary – small, weak energy (198). Wednesday the 2nd is similar with 2-2ft and clean conditions, but it’s barely a ripple. The combined energy drops to 106-139. Thursday the 3rd onward through to Monday the 7th of September is a flat spell – swells drop below 2ft and the energy is next to nothing (56-78). A few clean windows but basically no waves.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Tuesday the 8th of September – the swell starts to rebuild with a 6ft SSE pulse, period 12 seconds, and moderate cross-off wind, but the quality is still marginal, and energy ramps up to 804. Not the standout. But Wednesday the 9th of September is the one to circle. Morning brings a glassy, clean 6ft SSE swell with a very long 14-second period. The combined energy is a beefy 1538 – that’s strong wave energy. This is the best on offer: solid groundswell, glassy conditions, and excellent for experienced surfers – it’s too big for beginners at over 5ft. Keep in mind that a long-period swell like this can break a bit straighty on a beach setup, but with the glassy surface, it’ll still be a beauty. Afternoon goes onshore and choppy, so get it early.
Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th of September see the swell ease to 4-5ft SSE, still with 12-13 second periods, but morning winds are light or cross-off, keeping things clean for Friday morning especially – energy around 530-853. Good waves, but not the standout like Wednesday. By the 12th and 13th, the swell fades back to small 2-3ft and the energy drops off.
In short: sit tight through the first nine days of flatness and slop. The one true standout is the morning of Wednesday the 9th of September – glassy, solid, long-period groundswell at Woolgoolga Back Beach. It’s a promising window for experienced crew. A clean Friday the 11th morn is a decent backup. After that, the run fizzles out. Keep an eye on the forecast, because when it turns on, it turns on.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
240 | 302 | 175 | 326 | 226 | 199 | 235 | 134 | 75 | 100 | 119 | 123 | 90 | 60 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 55 | 55 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:46PM1.57m | 9:14AM1.34m | 9:20PM1.51m | 9:52AM1.39m | 9:57PM1.41m | 10:33AM1.41m | 10:38PM1.28m | 11:20AM1.42m | 11:26PM1.14m | 12:16PM1.41m | 00:26AM1.00m | 1:24PM1.40m | 1:46AM0.90m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:30PM0.12m | 3:11AM0.03m | 3:10PM0.14m | 3:41AM0.03m | 3:54PM0.17m | 4:14AM0.06m | 4:42PM0.23m | 4:50AM0.11m | 5:38PM0.30m | 5:33AM0.18m | 6:47PM0.37m | 6:26AM0.26m | 8:15PM0.40m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | E 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | E 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | E 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
240 | 39 | 145 | 326 | 35 | 199 | 161 | 22 | 75 | 100 | 119 | 123 | 90 | 60 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 55 | 55 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | N 7 | E 8 | E 8 | S 18 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NE 5 | E 9 | E 9 | S 6 |
36 | 1 | 35 | 35 | 6 | 26 | 24 | 90 | 50 | 50 | 48 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 19 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 11 | N 7 | N 10 | ENE 10 | S 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 18 | — | E 8 | SSE 16 | N 12 | NE 4 | NE 4 | N 11 | NE 4 | NE 5 | SE 13 | E 9 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | E 9 |
2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 23 | 30 | 61 | — | 12 | 48 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 10 | SSE 7 | S 8 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | — | — | ENE 3 | NW 3 | — | NE 3 | NW 2 | — | NE 4 | — | S 4 | SSE 4 | — |
— | 302 | 175 | 260 | 226 | 157 | 235 | 134 | — | — | 7 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 5 | — | 12 | 13 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 78 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 340 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 46 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Woolgoolga Back Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Woolgoolga Back Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Woolgoolga Back Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Woolgoolga Back 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 (Woolgoolga Back 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 Woolgoolga Back 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.











