Merewether is Newcastle's premier surf beach, with reef and sand-bottom breaks such as the Ladies and Dumps, and the home of Surfest, Australia's largest surfing competition and a WSL Challenger Series event. It picks up south and east swells consistently and suits intermediate to advanced surfers, with gentler waves further down the beach. Best in the morning with light westerly offshore winds.
🌡️ ~19.4°C now · a 2mm spring suit / shorty
Beginner: not suitable for this level
Intermediate: Jan, Feb, Jun, Aug, Sep, Nov, Dec
Advanced: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jul, Oct
Local surf community
Local shops, schools and places to stay near Merewether worth checking out.
Slimes Newcastle is an independent, locally owned surf shop offering a huge range of surfboards, wetsuits, surf hardware, apparel and accessories from leading surf brands. We have over 80 demo surfboards available to try every day of the year, making it easy for visiting surfers to find the right board for the local conditions. We're also a hub for the local surf community, hosting film premieres, events and other get-togethers throughout the year.
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New spots, best-month tips and the local crews at Merewether. Tag us in your clips and we'll share them.
Beginner: not suitable for this level
Intermediate: Jan, Feb, Jun, Aug, Sep, Nov, Dec
Advanced: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jul, Oct
All-time average wind & swell
Dashed line marks Merewether's known offshore direction. Bright arrow is the all-time average swell direction, colored arrow is the all-time average wind direction at 15 km/h — hover or tap either arrow for exact values.
Monthly avg wave height (ft)
Monthly avg wind speed (km/h)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 22° | 23° | 23° | 22° | 21° | 20° | 18° | 18° | 19° | 19° | 20° | 21° |
Averages from 3 years of daily wave, wind and water temperature data — what a typical year looks like, not a forecast.
Waves average 4.8 ft (1.5 m), with onshore winds around 17 km/h from the E. Water is ~22°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for intermediates and advanced surfers.
Waves average 4.7 ft (1.4 m), with onshore winds around 15 km/h from the E. Water is ~23°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for intermediates and advanced surfers.
Waves average 4.9 ft (1.5 m), with onshore winds around 14 km/h from the E. Water is ~23°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for advanced surfers.
Waves average 5.8 ft (1.8 m), with cross-offshore winds around 14 km/h from the SW. Water is ~22°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for advanced surfers.
Waves average 5.6 ft (1.7 m), with offshore winds around 14 km/h from the W. Water is ~21°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for advanced surfers.
Waves average 4.6 ft (1.4 m), with offshore winds around 15 km/h from the W. Water is ~20°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for intermediates.
Waves average 5.0 ft (1.5 m), with offshore winds around 17 km/h from the W. Water is ~18°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for advanced surfers.
Waves average 4.6 ft (1.4 m), with offshore winds around 13 km/h from the W. Water is ~18°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for intermediates.
Waves average 4.4 ft (1.3 m), with cross-offshore winds around 16 km/h from the NW. Water is ~19°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for intermediates.
Waves average 4.9 ft (1.5 m), with onshore winds around 15 km/h from the NE. Water is ~19°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for advanced surfers.
Waves average 4.3 ft (1.3 m), with onshore winds around 14 km/h from the E. Water is ~20°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for intermediates.
Waves average 4.2 ft (1.3 m), with onshore winds around 14 km/h from the E. Water is ~21°C: a 2mm spring suit / shorty. A best month for intermediates.
For intermediates: Jun, Aug–Sep, Nov–Feb. For advanced surfers: Jan–May, Jul, Oct. The biggest waves come in April, averaging 5.8 ft (1.8 m), and the smallest in December, at 4.2 ft (1.3 m).
It ranges from ~18°C in July to ~23°C in February, averaged over 3 years of daily readings.
Year-round (~18-23°C): a 2mm spring suit / shorty.
Not really: Merewether is best suited to intermediate and advanced surfers.
The nearest airport is NTL (limited connections), and the nearest town is Newcastle, New South Wales. Many surfers fly into Sydney (SYD) instead, about 165 km or 2 hours' drive away.
