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Level 7/10

Cowries

Shellharbour, Australia

🪨Rocks🦔Urchins👊Localism👥Crowded⚠️Shallow

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Grinding right over a shallow ledge with a tiny, crowded take-off zone; best in moderate E-leaning swell, harder as it gets bigger or more northerly. It works best on an E swell with WSW winds around mid tide. Watch for: urchins, ledge, localism.

Cowries surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today20

Poor

0.8mE@6s

13km/h

0.8m@6s

13km/h

Wed21

Poor

1.0mENE@10s

12km/h

1.0m@10s

12km/h

Thu22

Poor

1.1mENE@10s

12km/h

1.1m@10s

12km/h

Fri23

Poor

1.0mENE@13s

15km/h

1.0m@13s

15km/h

Sat24

Poor

1.3mENE@10s

11km/h

1.3m@10s

11km/h

Sun25

Fair

1.4mENE@9s

9km/h

1.4m@9s

9km/h

Mon26

Poor

1.2mENE@10s

16km/h

1.2m@10s

16km/h

Tue27

Fair

1.9mS@9s

10km/h

1.9m@9s

10km/h

Wed28

Fair

2.0mESE@9s

12km/h

2.0m@9s

12km/h

Thu29

Fair

0.9mSE@15s

8km/h

0.9m@15s

8km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 5 km/h · PM 17 km/h · Tide at 10am (0.6m)

Swell

0.8m

E(81°)

Score: 14/25

Period

Short period

Score: 1/25

Wind

13km/h

NNE(25°)

Score: 4/25

Weather

19°C

0.0mm10%

First light 5:39amSunrise 6:09amSunset 7:14pmLast light 7:44pm

Windswell

0.3m@2s

Secondary

0.3m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell0.8m @6s E in window

Wind13 km/h NNE onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross OnshoreShaded = inside ideal window

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:39–7:33am · droppingStrike window: 12:05–7:44pm · through highIdeal tide: mid

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

11°

19°

21°

20°

13°

20°

21°

22°

20°

16°

18°

21°

20°

17°

20°

22°

21°

17°

22°

26°

23°

18°

22°

26°

25°

23°

15°

17°

18°

17°

13°

15°

16°

12°

17°

20°

19°

17°

10°

17°

21°

20°

18°

3m1.5

sec

10s

13s

10s

15s

swell

windkm/h

6g12

5g16

16g38

18g45

17g41

6g12

4g14

15g37

17g40

14g39

1g4

5g18

12g33

19g46

18g44

5g12

10g27

17g43

22g50

18g47

3g12

6g19

14g34

17g43

13g44

5g11

6g18

14g34

9g39

7g32

16g32

17g38

17g43

15g47

12g45

9g18

11g24

11g30

9g33

7g32

4g15

8g24

14g33

17g43

15g47

7g19

4g22

10g28

9g38

6g39

tidem

4:45am1.0m

10:03am0.6m

4:27pm1.3m

5:36am1.1m

11:03am0.6m

5:19pm1.4m

6:19am1.2m

11:57am0.6m

6:03pm1.4m

6:50am1.4m

12:48pm0.5m

6:50pm1.5m

1:11am0.3m

7:28am1.5m

1:31pm0.4m

7:37pm1.5m

1:44am0.4m

8:03am1.7m

2:18pm0.4m

8:23pm1.6m

2:20am0.4m

8:40am1.9m

3:06pm0.3m

9:06pm1.6m

2:59am0.4m

9:25am1.8m

3:53pm0.2m

9:59pm1.5m

3:39am0.4m

10:09am1.9m

4:48pm0.3m

10:50pm1.4m

4:24am0.5m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

4:45 am

High · 0.99m

10:03 am

Low · 0.63m

4:27 pm

High · 1.31m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction17/25

Swell Size14/25

Swell Period1/25

Wind4/25

Raw Score36/100

Adjustments

💨 Gusty Wind-5

Adjusted Score31/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score31

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to SYD, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell0.8m @6s E in window

Wind13 km/h NNE onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross OnshoreShaded = inside ideal window

Showing forecast for today · all day

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: E (100°)
Direction range: 35° - 170°
Size range: 0.5m - 3.4m
Ideal size: 1.8m - 2.7m
Height multiplier: 0.90×
Ideal period: 12s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: WSW (240°)
Offshore range: 195° - 285°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid

Water temp

19°C

Wetsuit

3/2mm fullsuit

Difficulty

7/10

Crowd level

7/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Cowries?

The Cowries profile favors mid tide. Compare this preference with the forecast tide and local conditions before choosing a session.

What wind direction is offshore at Cowries?

The Cowries profile uses wind from WSW (240°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 195° to 285°. Wind speed matters too: light winds outside that range can still produce surfable conditions, while strong offshore winds can make takeoffs difficult.

What swell size and direction work best at Cowries?

The Cowries scoring profile favors swell from E (35° to 170°), a swell-height range of 0.5m to 3.4m, and a reference period of 12s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.