Surf Forecasts:
Woolgoolga Back Beach surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, ESE swell with 402 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period with ESE 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Woolgoolga Back Beach in the next 16 days are 1.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Woolgoolga Back Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, breaking down what Woolgoolga Back Beach looks like for the next couple of weeks. I’ll give it to you straight—there’s a long stretch of nothing special before we get a morning that’s pure magic.
Right now we’re looking at ankle to waist-high, messy surf. Monday the 17th has about 5ft of short-period SE swell, but the wind is cross-onshore and the combined swell energy is moderate at 592, so it’s choppy and uninviting. Water temp is about average for the season. That same story holds through the rest of the week: waves drop from 5ft down to under 3ft, mostly from the ESE and E, with short periods and onshore or cross-onshore wind. By Friday the 21st, the combined energy is weak, down in the double digits. Just a flat, poor run for surfing.
Tuesday the 25th starts to shift. Early morning is glassy with a tiny 2ft S swell at a 10-second period. Combined energy is 155—moderate. It’s small, but that glassy surface makes it look clean. The afternoon of the 25th sees the swell jump to 5ft, but it’s a short-period S swell at only 5 seconds, so it’s going to be weak and sloppy despite the glassy conditions.
Now here’s the one you’ve been waiting for: Wednesday morning, the 26th of August. This is the standout. We’ve got 5ft of S groundswell with a very long period of 12 seconds. The wind is offshore from the NW at 15 km/h, making for clean, powerful surf. The combined energy is a strong 1036. This is proper wave energy. For experienced surfers, this is excellent. That long period will wrap into Woolgoolga Back Beach with real shape and push. Offshore wind will keep it clean all morning. This is the session.
Thursday the 27th is a step down: 3ft of SSE swell at a long 12-second period, with light offshore in the morning, but the energy is only moderate at 343. It’s clean, but nothing like Wednesday. From Friday the 28th onward, we’re back to weak, small swell with strong onshore wind, and combined energy is in the weak range. The last week of the forecast shows tiny 2ft to 3ft E swell with some long periods but very little power. Monday the 31st has a nice moderate offshore wind with 3ft of 12-second E swell and energy at 251, but it’s really just a clean small day for a log or a beginner.
Bottom line: most of this 16-day forecast is flat or poor. The only true standout is that Wednesday morning, the 26th. Circle it. Wait for it. That’s the one you paddle out for.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun night, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 255 | 289 | 250 | 319 | 274 | 307 | 286 | 171 | 318 | 222 | 181 | 136 | 100 | 76 | 60 | 134 | 48 | 70 | 58 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:34PM1.42m | 11:12AM1.33m | 11:12PM1.24m | 11:58AM1.31m | 11:53PM1.08m | 12:49PM1.27m | 00:41AM0.94m | 1:49PM1.23m | 1:46AM0.84m | 2:58PM1.23m | 3:12AM0.80m | 4:07PM1.26m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:53AM0.10m | 5:13PM0.30m | 5:26AM0.18m | 6:07PM0.41m | 6:02AM0.26m | 7:10PM0.50m | 6:44AM0.35m | 8:31PM0.55m | 7:39AM0.41m | 10:01PM0.53m | 8:51AM0.44m | 11:11PM0.47m | |||||||
 |  | |  | |  | | | |  |  | |  | | |  | |  | | |
 | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — |
mm | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | S 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 7 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 255 | 289 | 250 | 61 | 274 | 140 | 286 | 171 | 318 | 222 | 181 | 136 | 100 | 76 | 60 | 79 | 48 | 5 | 58 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSE 17 | S 17 | ENE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | — | SSE 7 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 15 | 30 | 5 | 17 | 122 | 83 | 107 | 112 | 47 | 34 | 10 | 9 | — | 21 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 18 | S 12 | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 10 | ESE 14 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | — | — | E 9 | S 13 | — | S 11 | S 10 | E 10 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 31 | 70 | 37 | 33 | 44 | 36 | 57 | 35 | 29 | 25 | — | — | 7 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | — | ESE 8 | — | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | — | N 2 | NE 4 | NE 6 | — | ENE 7 | — |
| kJ | 173 | 203 | — | 319 | — | 307 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 21 | 134 | — | 70 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 19 | 1 | 121 | 78 | 7 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 169 | 0 | 5 | 154 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 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.
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