Burleigh Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the outlook for the Gold Coast. Look, we’re in for a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The first few days are pretty lacklustre, but there’s a solid window of cleaner surf shaping up around the middle of the period that’s worth keeping an eye on.

The best bet on offer is Burleigh Heads on Friday, August 14th in the morning. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell rolling in from the SSE, with a period of 10 seconds—that’s a nice groundswell, offering good shape and energy. The wind is light from the SSE, so it’s a cross-off breeze, keeping the surface glassy and clean. The combined swell energy is sitting at 466 (moderate to strong), so there’s plenty of push. This is an advanced break, and it’s consistent, so expect a quality session. The water temp is around 69°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year.

The run-up to that is a bit of a grind. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th have small, weak swells with poor conditions. Monday the 10th gets a bit of size with a 6ft north swell, but it’s a short-period 6-second wind chop with onshore cross-breeze, so it’s messy and lumpy—more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. The combined energy hits 336 (moderate), but it’s not worth paddling out for.

From Tuesday the 11th through to Thursday the 13th, we’ve got tiny, clean but ordinary surf—waist-high at best, with combined energy in the 60–115 range (weak to weak-moderate). Not much to get excited about.

Then Friday the 14th morning is the standout. Clean, 5ft SSE swell, glassy conditions, and solid energy. The afternoon gets a bit choppy with a cross-shore, so make sure you’re on it early. After that, Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th drop right off again, with tiny 1ft waves and no real energy.

Monday the 17th sees a 6ft SE swell roll in, but it’s only 7 seconds period and the wind is cross-off, so it’ll be a bit soft and lumpy on the beach. The combined energy is 322 (moderate), but it’s marginal—better for the experienced crew.

The second week is pretty quiet overall. There’s a bit of a pulse on Thursday the 20th with a 3ft SSE swell, clean light winds, and combined energy of 227 (moderate), but it’s nothing special. The rest of the week is small, windy, and not worth a paddle.

So, bottom line: if you’re keen, get out for Friday morning, August 14th at Burleigh Heads. The rest of the period is mostly flat or poor, but that window is a beauty.

Rusty.

Read more