
Surf Forecasts:
Burleigh Heads surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 14 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, S swell with 711 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Burleigh Heads this week:
The surf forecast for Burleigh Heads over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Burleigh Heads in the next 16 days are 1.9m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Burleigh Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
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.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 20°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | N 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
73 | 173 | 229 | 185 | 146 | 119 | 214 | 94 | 99 | 76 | 78 | 81 | 85 | 85 | 61 | 60 | 370 | 481 | 435 | 334 | 212 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 4:13PM1.52m | 4:32AM0.94m | 5:18PM1.66m | 5:39AM0.99m | 6:14PM1.80m | 6:34AM1.07m | 7:04PM1.89m | 7:22AM1.16m | 7:49PM1.92m | 8:07AM1.24m | 8:30PM1.89m | 8:50AM1.31m | 9:09PM1.79m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:11PM0.34m | 10:21AM0.21m | 00:13AM0.22m | 11:25AM0.12m | 1:04AM0.11m | 12:20PM0.02m | 1:47AM0.04m | 1:10PM-0.04m | 2:26AM-0.00m | 1:57PM-0.06m | 3:03AM-0.01m | 2:42PM-0.02m | 3:37AM0.00m | ||||||||
6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
— | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 23 | 24 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 10 | ENE 10 | SSE 9 |
73 | 173 | 229 | 185 | 146 | 119 | 119 | 195 | 68 | 76 | 78 | 81 | 85 | 85 | 61 | 60 | 43 | 44 | 435 | 31 | 212 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | NNE 6 | NE 12 | NNE 7 | NNE 6 | S 8 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 9 |
47 | 44 | 28 | 38 | 32 | 16 | 4 | 94 | 99 | 26 | 5 | 25 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 31 | 3 | 29 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | E 16 | NE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 8 | E 13 | E 13 | NW 5 | SSW 5 | — | S 10 | S 9 | SE 11 | S 9 | — | NE 10 | N 10 | NE 7 | N 9 | NE 9 |
25 | 5 | 26 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 5 | N 6 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | NNE 6 | W 4 | WNW 3 | N 4 | WNW 3 | S 4 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | — | SSE 10 | — |
4 | 4 | — | — | 1 | 80 | 214 | 30 | 13 | 2 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 3 | 12 | 370 | 481 | — | 334 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 166 | 163 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Burleigh Heads Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Burleigh Heads provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Burleigh Heads can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Burleigh Heads surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Burleigh Heads) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Burleigh Heads may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Burleigh Heads is 10 km (6 miles) from the city of Surfers Paradise. If you plan a holiday in Gold Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











