Surf spot

Kingscliff

Forecast conditions and map view for Kingscliff in Australia, NSW, North. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: Australia, NSW, North
Coordinates: -28.2539, 153.5784

Metric
Metric	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00
Wave height (m)	1.5	1.4	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2	1	1	1	1	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.6	1.5	1.9	1.9	2.1	1.7	0.8	0.9	1.2	2	2.1	2.1	2	1.9	1.8	1.6	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.2	1.2	1.1	1.1
Wave direction	SE	SSE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	ESE	ESE	ESE	E	E	ENE	ESE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE
Wave period (s)	7.1	7.8	7.4	7.5	7.3	7.4	7.4	7.3	7.8	7.5	8.2	8.2	8.2	7.9	8.2	8.1	8.2	8.2	8.2	8.8	8.5	6.7	6	6.2	5.5	5.6	5.5	6	8.3	9.1	9.1	8.8	8.1	8.3	8	8.7	10.3	10.3	8.3	8	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.3	6.8	6.8	7	6.9	7	7.1	7	6.8	6.8	6.8
Wave energy (kJ)	233	238	246	240	230	221	209	188	166	123	145	129	122	106	103	93	82	69	59	48	39	22	17	18	15	14	14	8	22	17	68	354	468	512	547	412	144	166	196	506	522	493	447	398	361	276	271	259	241	203	189	181	151	123	110	105
Wind speed (km/h)	6.2	6.1	5.5	9.7	12.6	9.9	2.9	3.6	5.6	5.7	3.9	7.3	11.2	9.3	4.4	4.8	4.8	4.5	4.1	11.9	17.1	13	10.8	10	8.9	6.4	8.4	16.3	17.3	20.1	21.3	18.4	14	14.9	11.9	17.3	13.6	17.7	14.8	13.6	10.8	8.1	6.5	10.5	14	13.3	2.8	5.2	5.2	4.9	2.6	8.2	11.7	10.2	4.8	5.8
Wind direction	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	ESECross	ESECross-on	ECross-on	SGlassy	SWGlassy	WSWOffshore	SWOffshore	SWGlassy	ECross-on	ENEOnshore	NEOnshore	NGlassy	NWGlassy	WNWGlassy	WNWGlassy	NWGlassy	NOnshore	NNEOnshore	NCross-on	NNWCross-on	NNWCross-on	NNWCross-on	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SOffshore	SCross-off	SCross-off	SCross-off	SOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SCross-off	SSWOffshore	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SWOffshore	SCross-off	SECross	ESECross	SWGlassy	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWGlassy	SWGlassy	NEOnshore	NEOnshore	NNEOnshore	NNWGlassy	WNWCross

Kingscliff (Northern NSW, Australia) is a popular North Coast surf spot known for its relaxed beach-town vibe and generally beginner-to-intermediate friendly waves.

Spot overview

Location: Kingscliff, far north coast of New South Wales, near the Queensland border
Type: Open beach break, with shifting sandbanks
Best for: Beginners, longboarders, and intermediate surfers on the right swell
Crowd: Can be busy, especially on weekends and during holiday periods

Wave character

Wave quality: Usually mellow and forgiving rather than powerful
Break type: Mostly beach break peaks, with occasional cleaner sections depending on sand movement
Conditions: Works best when there’s a moderate NE to E swell and light offshore winds from the west or southwest
Shape: Can offer fun, peeling lefts and rights, but quality changes often with tides and sandbanks

Best conditions

Swell: Moderate easterly or northeasterly swell
Wind: Westerly or southwesterly offshore winds
Tide: Often better around mid tide, though this can vary with sandbank setup

Hazards / things to watch

Rips: Common, especially after larger swells
Changing banks: The sandbanks shift regularly, so the best peaks move around
Crowds: Peak times can get crowded
Exposure: Being an open beach, it can get lumpy in strong winds

Overall feel

Kingscliff is a fun, accessible surf spot with a laid-back coastal atmosphere. It’s not usually known for heavy, world-class surf, but it can deliver enjoyable waves when the swell and sandbanks line up.