All Sawtell photos

Palm Beach - Currumbin Alley

Gold Coast

Tugun

Gold Coast

Jan Juc - Winki

Surf Coast VIC

Manly - Fairy Bower

Sydney

Palm Beach - Currumbin Alley

Gold Coast

Tugun

Gold Coast

Jan Juc - Winki

Surf Coast VIC

Manly - Fairy Bower

Sydney

Palm Beach - Currumbin Alley

Gold Coast

Tugun

Gold Coast

Jan Juc - Winki

Surf Coast VIC

Manly - Fairy Bower

Sydney

Palm Beach - Currumbin Alley

Gold Coast

Tugun

Gold Coast

Jan Juc - Winki

Surf Coast VIC

Manly - Fairy Bower

Sydney

Palm Beach - Currumbin Alley

Gold Coast

Tugun

Gold Coast

Jan Juc - Winki

Surf Coast VIC

Manly - Fairy Bower

Sydney

Swell Alert: A Powerful South and SSE groundswell is about to Rock the East Coast

Swell Alert: ESE Ramps Up to Kick Off the 2020 Tropical Swell Season This Weekend

Forecaster Blog: Dual Tropical Cyclones Lining up to Deliver Days of Pumping Easterly Groundswell to the East Coast.

Forecaster Blog: Tropical Cyclone Yasa and its distant cousin, Tropical Cyclone Zazu

Swell Alert: A Powerful South and SSE groundswell is about to Rock the East Coast

Swell Alert: ESE Ramps Up to Kick Off the 2020 Tropical Swell Season This Weekend

Forecaster Blog: Dual Tropical Cyclones Lining up to Deliver Days of Pumping Easterly Groundswell to the East Coast.

Forecaster Blog: Tropical Cyclone Yasa and its distant cousin, Tropical Cyclone Zazu

Swell Alert: A Powerful South and SSE groundswell is about to Rock the East Coast

Swell Alert: ESE Ramps Up to Kick Off the 2020 Tropical Swell Season This Weekend

Forecaster Blog: Dual Tropical Cyclones Lining up to Deliver Days of Pumping Easterly Groundswell to the East Coast.

Forecaster Blog: Tropical Cyclone Yasa and its distant cousin, Tropical Cyclone Zazu

Swell Alert: A Powerful South and SSE groundswell is about to Rock the East Coast

Swell Alert: ESE Ramps Up to Kick Off the 2020 Tropical Swell Season This Weekend

Forecaster Blog: Dual Tropical Cyclones Lining up to Deliver Days of Pumping Easterly Groundswell to the East Coast.

Forecaster Blog: Tropical Cyclone Yasa and its distant cousin, Tropical Cyclone Zazu

Swell Alert: A Powerful South and SSE groundswell is about to Rock the East Coast

Swell Alert: ESE Ramps Up to Kick Off the 2020 Tropical Swell Season This Weekend

Forecaster Blog: Dual Tropical Cyclones Lining up to Deliver Days of Pumping Easterly Groundswell to the East Coast.

Forecaster Blog: Tropical Cyclone Yasa and its distant cousin, Tropical Cyclone Zazu

Swell Alert: A Powerful South and SSE groundswell is about to Rock the East Coast

Swell Alert: ESE Ramps Up to Kick Off the 2020 Tropical Swell Season This Weekend

Forecaster Blog: Dual Tropical Cyclones Lining up to Deliver Days of Pumping Easterly Groundswell to the East Coast.

Forecaster Blog: Tropical Cyclone Yasa and its distant cousin, Tropical Cyclone Zazu

Weekend Surf Forecast 6 - 8 March 2020

Bring on autumn.

Weekend Surf Forecast 21 - 23 February, 2020

There's more late summer goodness in the forecast this weekend.

Weekend Surf Forecast January 31- 2 February 2020

There's a wave with your name on it this weekend.

Long Weekend Surf Forecast 24 - 27 January, 2020

Line up your Australia day long weekend.

Swell Alert: A Powerful South and SSE groundswell is about to Rock the East Coast

Get ready, the East Coast is about to rumble.

Swell Alert: ESE Ramps Up to Kick Off the 2020 Tropical Swell Season This Weekend

It's open season as a large easterly swell ramps up across southern Queensland this weekend.

Swell Alert: Deep East Coast Low to Deliver Another Hiding to the NSW Coast

Early to mid-next week it's highly likely we'll see yet another large to heavy swell event

Swell Alert: A Multitude of Swell Trains Converge along the Eastern Seaboard

The surf is tripling up this weekend.

Bali, Indonesia Surf Forecast 25 September - 5 October, 2019

Bali, Indonesia Surf Forecast 11 - 25 September, 2019

Goldilocks zone surfing conditions set in across Indonesia into mid-September.

Bali, Indonesia Surf Forecast 4 - 15 September 2019

Welcome to the late season!

Bali, Indonesia Surf Forecast 28 August - 5 September, 2019

There's no let-up in SSW groundswell over the winter/spring transition across Indonesia.

Forecaster Blog: Dual Tropical Cyclones Lining up to Deliver Days of Pumping Easterly Groundswell to the East Coast.

Dual cyclones active over the tropical Pacific Ocean hold definitively large east-swell potential for the East Coast.

Forecaster Blog: Tropical Cyclone Yasa and its distant cousin, Tropical Cyclone Zazu

A distant Southwest Pacific cyclone holds latent east swell potential in the lead-up to Christmas.

Forecaster Blog: The East Coast’s Tropical Swell Window is About to Wake Up

A resurgent La Nina is about to rock the East Coast this December.

Forecaster Blog: The 2020 La Nina, East Coast Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Outlook

Will the 2020/21 cyclone season live up to expectations?

Forecasting Tutorial: Reading Wave Models

Gain a deeper understanding into how wave models work and how to read them.

Surf Forecast Glossary

Keep up to date with the Forecasting lingo.

Forecasting Tutorial: Air Masses

Welcome to our first installment on meteorology basics: Swell is generated by wind and wind is the result of air pressure.

Forecasting Tutorial: Wave Period Explained

Coastalwatch's chief swell forecaster, Ben Macartney, scratches beneath the sea surface looking at wave period.

Swell Forecast: It's Happening, The Great Indian Ocean Double Up

Incoming double swell for Vic, WA & Indo

SWELL FORECAST: Incoming Southern Ocean Bomb Low

Deep low-pressure system dramatically deepens generating swell

Forecast Video: Major Swell Event For South Australia & Victoria

An insight into what conditions to expect

Forecast Video: Tasman Low Bringing East Coast Waves

Deep low pressure system to bring swell

Video: Connor O'Leary's Backhand Surfing Is Worth Hitting Replay For

Nooners!

Watch: The Surf Lakes Pool is Now Better Than You Could've Imagined

They've been doing some major tinkering in Queensland

Pat Gudauskas Ripping in Aus and Talking Surfboards, Stoke

A fresh episode of the affably charming 'What's Going On?' show

Watch: Meet Kehu Butler, the 20-Year-Old Rising Surf Star From Mount Maunganui, NZ

Watch him shred, learn his culture

Watch Tom Carroll & Matt Grainger Break Down Tow-Foiling and Glide an Empty Outside Sydney Reef

"We've got all kinds of reef around here we can play with..."

Watch: Local Chargers Take On East Coast Outer Slab

Tubes and Carnage!

Watch Tom Carroll, Nathan Hedge and More Pull Into Massive Tubes on This Sydney Beachie's "Day of Days"

"I think it's psycho, it's that thick and round..." says Nathan Hedge.

Video: Rainbow Bay Last Saturday Was an A-Grade Tube Machine

Standout Sessions

Wave of the Week: Nick Vasicek's Backhand Funnel

The backhand barrel master at his very best only a week or so ago near home on the Gold Coast.

A Seriously Long Drainer on a Perfect Day at Nias

Wave of the Week with Elliot Paerata Reid

Shaun Harrington's Mental D'Bah Drainer

Wave of the Week: Six seconds of mental D'bah funnel

Watch: Damon Harvey's Late Drop to Backside Chandelier on the Gold Coast

Wave of the week

Video: Connor O'Leary's Backhand Surfing Is Worth Hitting Replay For

Nooners!

Watch: The Surf Lakes Pool is Now Better Than You Could've Imagined

They've been doing some major tinkering in Queensland

Pat Gudauskas Ripping in Aus and Talking Surfboards, Stoke

A fresh episode of the affably charming 'What's Going On?' show

Watch: Meet Kehu Butler, the 20-Year-Old Rising Surf Star From Mount Maunganui, NZ

Watch him shred, learn his culture

Watch the Epic New Lid Vid – Tales of the Boogie Men

Plus a great interview with the GOAT Mike Stewart

Watch: Rip Curl's Eccentric New Search Movie, 'Postcards From Morgs'

Starring Mick Fanning, Tyler Wright, Owen Wright and more

Watch: Torren Martyn's Motorcycle Surf Roadie Through New Zealand, Exclusive New Surf Film

‘Lost Track’ is yet another, soulful wanderlusty classic from Torren and needessenials

Watch: MP Documentary Feature – 'Searching For Michael Peterson'

A Coastalwatch Plus Member Exclusive

Man Gets Rejected While Trying To Surf Noosa

Sent in against his will!

Italo's Pipe Wipe Out... Pipe Out

Ital.. oh no

Teahupoo Free Fall

It's a quick and violent exit from the lip when you get it wrong.

Alex Gray Cops A Massive Cloudbreak Flogging

When it's this big in Fiji you really want to make these ones

Weak Wrap: Worst of Weak Wrap 2017

Weak Wrap: Hawaii Ruins Everything Again

The Rock Is A Hard Place

Weak Wrap: Man Wrestles Shark!

Plus much more in a very special tropical edition

Weak Wrap: Jamie O'Brien Is Dead... To Me

Plus other sad things.

How A Real Food Diet Can Affect Our Surf Performance For The Better – Surf Coach Series With Nic Laidlaw

Simple things you can look for to get yourself into better food patterns.

The Importance of Breathing Correctly – Surf Coach Series With Nic Laidlaw

When we’re breathing incorrectly it can have adverse affects on our posture, on our mood and on our energy.

Movement: Surf Coach Series With Nic Laidlaw

'The Core' demystified for strength and mobility

Finding The Why – Surf Coach Series With Nic Laidlaw

Understanding why we're out there, could lead to better, more fulfilling surfing.

How Did This Wave Even Get Ridden?

18-year-old makes it look easy

The Spectacular Tweed Swell

A left-hander that'll make you weak at the knees

You Wish This Was Your Backyard, But It's Not

Point break living

The Longest Barrel On The Central Coast This Century?

Andrew Mooney defies the odds

What Does It Take To Be A Man? Soli Bailey Knows.

Hot Lips Episode #3

Jack Freestone Found The Key To Cold Water Surfing Enlightenment

Hot Lips Episode #2

Wilko Faces His Worst Adversary

Hot Lips Episode #1

INCOMING: NSW IS ON THE VERGE OF A CLASSIC DAY

March 24 could be the best wind change in a while for long-suffering NSW surfers

SURFBOARD FAMILY: THE JOSKES FIND THEIR LEVEL

Valla Surfboards lives on

PAINFUL HISTORY: WHAT THE WSL DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ROTTNEST ISLAND

And how the Rottnest CT could lead to an unexpected opportunity for all Australian surfers.

INCOMING: SOLID EASTERLY SWELL, MIXED CONDITIONS FOR QLD AND NSW

A classic Tasman Sea easterly will send pumping surf from the Sunny Coast to the Illawarra. One issue: the wind.

Sean Doherty: Somewhere Between 'Searching for Tom Curren' and 'Eraserhead'

The Story Behind Tom Curren's Offbeat New Search Vid

Nick Carroll: WSL Adds a Fourth CT To Australia in 2021?

Australia, All of Australia, May Soon Be a CT Bubble

Watch: The New Tom Curren "Search" Movie is All-Time

It's called Free Scrubber

Five Rides (And a Wipeout) From New South Wales Super Session

Pipeline comes to Australia's East Coast, featuring Paul Morgan, Laurie Towner, Matt Dunsmore and more

Surfer Survives Great White Attack at Kangaroo Island, South Aus

Yet another Australian surfer/shark incident in 2020

13-Year-Old Surfer Suffers Shark Bite at Port Macquarie This Morning

He is in a stable condition

Nick Carroll: In the Wake of Yet Another Shark Death, Esperance Is a Town in Need

The WA Government hasn’t been stepping up in Esperance. It better start now.

"You Can Usually Stop People From Dying With Very Basic Equipment and Very Simple Techniques" – What To Do in the Event of a Shark Attack

According To a Surfing Doctor

Nick Carroll: When the Seas Rise

…a lot of what we know about surfing today will be gone. Here’s a new group hoping to make a difference.

Sean Doherty: The Problem Is Bigger Than Wamberal

The Vexed Issue of Saving Beachside Property and the Undermining of Future Plans for Sea Level Rise

Nick Carroll: Are We on the Edge of a New Era in Surf Environmentalism? Thanks to Some Dumb Virus?

The Plague retreats, part one in a series

Sean Doherty: The Bight Bites Back

"It certainly wasn’t the phone call I was expecting on a lazy Tuesday morning."

A Ripping New Rage Vid, Pete Mel's Stoke Is Everyone's Stoke, and Maverick's on Skis? What?

This Week In Surfing: Ten Things from Surfing & the Internet on the Week That Was January 15 2021

WSL's Horror Run Continues, Mason Finally Meets the Reef, and Waves Glorious Waves

This Week In Surfing: Ten Things from Surfing & the Internet on the Week That Was January 8 2021

The Ten Biggest Things from Surfing and the Internet in 2020

This Year in Surfing

Kai Lenny Jaws Go-Pro Footage Is Insane and John John Is the Best Surf Youtuber There Is

This Week in Surfing: Ten Things from Surfing & the Internet on the Week That Was December 25 2020

All the Highlights From that Massive Hawaiian Swell That Just Went Down

A Surfline Swell Story

Gallery: Four Pumping Days In WA

The best swell of the winter?

Paddle Bombs and Tow-Ins as East Coast Low Lights up Sydney Yet Again

There had been barely a moment for to collect your breath before Monday hit, and now there's more coming!

Video & Gallery: Locals Rule Day of the Year (So Far) at Padang Padang

Firing Bali Is Equal Parts Stoke and Torture

“WAKE UP FELLAS, IT’S 1991.”

Maybe the year’s best surf documentary

SO IT GOES: BELLS LIVES, JUST NOT THIS EASTER

The Torquay crew are shrugging it off. But is the WSL planning a NSW Bubble?

WHAT DID ANYONE EXPECT AT LENNOX HEAD?

Lennox vs the WSL ended the only way it could. But the locals face a much bigger war, writes Sean Doherty.

Sean Doherty: Somewhere Between 'Searching for Tom Curren' and 'Eraserhead'

The Story Behind Tom Curren's Offbeat New Search Vid

Nominations Wanted: Australia’s Biggest Surfing Awards

You know someone worthy. Time to let them know.

OUR EPIC LONG WEEKEND

Almost the day of dreams. Almost.

“HE’S TRULY A FREAK.”

Maybe you don’t know Luke Saranah. You will now.

INSIDE THE SAUSAGE MACHINE: HOW THE SECRET AUSSIE TOUR WAS BUILT

Can you make a tour happen in two weeks? The WSL was willing to try

The Short History Of Surfer Greetings

Begins with Aloha.

The Short History Of Camping

Few things go together as well as surfing and camping

Why We Love To Camp Out Under The Stars

And all the hilarious things that happen round the campfire

Say Hello To The Least Friendliest Waves In WA

The Brown Brothers have something radical in store

Surfer Yarns: Jim Banks On Single Fins

Placement is key

Surfer Yarns: Jim Banks On His Recent Near Death Wipe-Out At Uluwatu

The Bends

Surfer Yarns: Jim Banks On Where To Put The Damn Fins

Okay, confession time.

Surfer Yarns: Jim Banks On A Lifetime Spent Shaping Surfboards

Breaking The Rules

Wayne Lynch On the Black Summer

From the pages of the latest Surfing World, Wayne Lynch reflects

Video: The Fizzlot kids – SW Grom Bash

A stoked out portrait of Australian Junior Surfing in the year 2018.

The Lyndie Irons Interview – After The Tell All Documentary

From the latest issue of Surfing World

Surfing World Magazine: Issue 387

The Return Of The Killer Surf Movie

Sean Doherty: Somewhere Between 'Searching for Tom Curren' and 'Eraserhead'

The Story Behind Tom Curren's Offbeat New Search Vid

Sean Doherty: "The Guys at Narrabeen Really Set a Direction in My Life", Mark Richards in 1971

Another excerpt from the wonderful new book, Golden Days: The Best Years of Australian Surfing

Sean Doherty: “Girls Can Be Grommets Too!”, Pam Burridge in 1979

An excerpt from the wonderful new book, Golden Days: The Best Years of Australian Surfing

Tested: Quiksilver Mens Highline Pro 1mm Zipperless Steamer Wetsuit, Eight Months Down the Track

The Wear and Tear Update

5 of the Best Reef Breaks in the World, Just Because

Heaviest, Easiest, Most Deadly... Which Is Your Fave?

The Coastalwatch Isolation Salvation – No.7

From a classic Kirra swell from the vault, to the history of rock-offs, here's five quick distractions to keep the stoke burning.

The Coastalwatch Isolation Salvation – No.6

The Top Five Reasons Why Mason Ho Is So Magical

Ronnie and Vaughan are back for Season 2 of The Hold Down

The Short History Of Surf Mysteries

Enter the twilight zone.

The Short History Of Camping

Few things go together as well as surfing and camping

Jock Serong's Short History Of Grommets

Why We Love To Camp Out Under The Stars

And all the hilarious things that happen round the campfire

Historic Surf Event Continues In Newcastle

56th Mattara Surf Classic

Nikki Van Dijk Crowned Champ In Portugal

The Cascais Pro had some big shocks

World First Experience For 360 Groms In Sydney This Week

Innovation for grass roots surfing

The Line Up Of Incredible Surf Films

Noosa Surf Film Festival flicks

"I Think What’s Coming for Surfing Is an Upwelling of New Voices and Perspectives – Those Who Have Often Been Excluded From Belonging to Core Surf Culture"

Lauren L Hill discusses her new book on the Rise of Female Surfing, She Surf

Coastalwatch's Chief Swell Forecaster Answers Hard and Easy Questions

Come and Meet Ben Macartney

Do You Know Which Surfer Has Won 13 Titles?

A stellar story

World First Experience For 360 Groms In Sydney This Week

Innovation for grass roots surfing

Growing up on Maui To Becoming One of the World’s Premier Watermen – Kai Lenny Tells His Story on Jamie Mitchell's Podcast

The Late Drop Podcast

From Air Shows To Death-Defying Code Red Tahiti and Everything in Between – Nathan Fletcher Tells His Story on Jamie Mitchell's Podcast

The Late Drop Podcast

From 'Mad Wax', To Winning the Eddie, To Australian Survivor – Ross Clarke Jones Tells His Story on Jamie Mitchell's Podcast

The Late Drop Podcast

The Evolution of a Modern Big Wave Surfer, Felicity Palmateer Tells Her Story on Jamie Mitchell's Podcast

The Late Drop Podcast

Meet The Best Women Surfers On Bali

Riding Against All Odds

Watch: The History of the World's Most Elusive and Long Lefthander

The ever-changing story of Skeleton Bay

The Story of How Surfing Almost Lost Mundaka, Then Didn't

First Sessions: How the Spanish Rivermouth Almost Suffered a Man-Made Death

6 of the Best Righthand Pointbreaks in the World, Just Because

Natural-Footed Dreams

The Best Thing About Surfing In France

The draining perfection of La Graviere

7 Crucial Steps To A Successful Surf Van Fit-Out

A step-by-step guide to the ultimate vanlife

Gallery: The Reason Everyone Loves Hawaii

Through the lens of Craig Parry

The Most Intense & Spectacular Surf Trip I've Ever Been On

Morgan Maassen's Mexican magic

Meet The Best Women Surfers On Bali

Riding Against All Odds

Get Around It: A 10-Kilometre Paddle To Provide Food To the Struggling People of Bali

Introducing the Million Meals Paddle

Lockdown Diaries: How a Teacher and His 14-Year-Old Daughter Have Waited Out the Pandemic on Nias

“This Is What the 1970s Must’ve Been Like in Indo.”

Lockdown Diaries: Meet the American Surfer Who Got "Stuck" at Supersuck

"They closed the borders, everything got cancelled, I got shut-in, and I stayed at Supersuck for four months. Pigdog heaven."

Maldives in the Time of Coronavirus

Empty perfection and a devastated economy...

This Is The Very Best Of The Maldives In 2016

Waves of your dreams

Everything A Surfer Could Hope For

The Maldives September report

Can You Believe This Was The Last 35 Days Straight In The Maldives?

Non-stop waves

Lockdown Diaries: Meet the American Surfer Who Got "Stuck" at Supersuck

"They closed the borders, everything got cancelled, I got shut-in, and I stayed at Supersuck for four months. Pigdog heaven."

The Last Man in the Mentawai Islands Scores More Insane Covid Barrels

"It will never happen again.”

One Week of Empty Perfection: A Video Diary from the Mentawai Islands

Video line-ups of a ridiculous swell in an unprecedented time

What the Mentawai Islands and Banyaks Were Like This August

Video, gallery and report

Samoa: Our Tropical Wave Rich Neighbours

The summer of waves report

Gallery: Samoa - February 2015 Recap

Fun waves on the Polynesian island.

Gallery: Samoa – November 2014

Sunny days, offshore winds, no crowds and fresh swells in November? Welcome to Samoa…

Gallery: Samoa – October 2014

October in Samoa is a beautiful month especially if you're a surfer.

Coastalwatch Surf Check App For iPhone

Australia's no.1 surf app. Check the surf anywhere, anytime with over 100 live streaming Australian Surf Cams. Download from iTunes.

Surfstitch Surf Check App For Android Phones

Surfstitch Surf Check - the official Coastalwatch Android app for Australian surfing and coastal conditions.

Alexa Coastalwatch Skill

"Alexa, ask Coastalwatch for the surf forecast". The official Coastalwatch Skill for Alexa enabled devices allows you to use your voice to get the latest conditions and forecasts.

Registered Users

SMS services

Use the flexibility of Coastalwatch SMS service to check the daily surf report or live wind conditiosn around Australia anytime of the day.