Surf Forecasts:
Burleigh Heads surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, SE swell with 543 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period with SE 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Burleigh Heads in the next 16 days are 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Burleigh Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks at Burleigh Heads. We’ve got a slow, poor start and one solid late window that’s looking like the best of the bunch. Don’t get too keen on the early days—there’s a decent stretch of nothing much before things clean up.
Right now, we’re looking at small, short-period swells. Wednesday the 19th has a bit of swell at about 5ft, coming from the SE at a short 11 seconds, with a cross-off breeze in the morning that turns into lumpy cross in the arvo. The energy is moderate at best (689), and it’s just not doing anything for the point. Thursday the 20th is similar—around 6ft in the morning but the period drops right off to 8 seconds, so it’s weak and messy, though the light cross-off keeps it clean. The water temp is 68°, which is about normal for this time of year.
Friday the 21st drops away—about 3ft and fading. The morning is glassy with a NNE breeze, but it’s just small and ordinary. From the 22nd through to the 26th, it’s a write-off. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3ft, with onshore and cross-onshore winds. That’s a solid five-day stretch of nothing worth paddling out for. The energy is weak, down in double digits most of the time.
Things start to perk up late on Thursday the 27th. The swell bumps to around 4ft from the S, period is 7 seconds but the wind is a clean cross-off, and the energy is building (325). It’s not huge, but it’s clean and there’s a bit of push. The afternoon gets chopped up, so the morning is the call. Friday the 28th is average—about 4ft but the wind swings onshore and it gets messy.
The standout window is the last few days of the month and the first day of September. On Sunday the 30th, the swell jumps to around 7ft in the morning from SSE, with a short 7-second period and a cross-off breeze. Energy is jumping (464). That’s a fun size for Burleigh, but the short period means it won’t be super clean. Monday the 31st has 6ft to 6ft, SSE, clean in the morning, energy climbing (479–606). But the real gem is Tuesday the 1st of September. The afternoon hits about 7ft from the SSE with a long 12-second period, and the cross-off wind is keeping it glassy. The energy is up at 1222—that’s the strongest of the whole run. That’s the pick of the fortnight. Long-period SSE groundswell is right in Burleigh’s wheelhouse, lining up nicely down the point. It’s still a few days out, so treat it as promising, not locked in, but if that holds, it’ll be worth it.
For the advanced crew, that Tuesday afternoon is going to be firing—big, clean and grinding down the point. It’s over 5ft, so it’s not for beginners, and if it pushes over 8ft, only the experts should be out. Crowds are likely, as they always are when Burleigh turns on.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
564 | 533 | 239 | 356 | 308 | 221 | 74 | 37 | 86 | 89 | 97 | 102 | 105 | 88 | 76 | 60 | 89 | 140 | 137 | 104 | 87 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | on | cross | cross | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 12:41PM1.25m | 00:21AM0.99m | 1:48PM1.21m | 1:30AM0.88m | 3:04PM1.21m | 3:06AM0.83m | 4:14PM1.27m | 4:29AM0.86m | 5:09PM1.36m | 5:26AM0.92m | 5:52PM1.46m | 6:08AM1.00m | 6:29PM1.56m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:51PM0.57m | 6:38AM0.35m | 8:20PM0.62m | 7:39AM0.42m | 10:02PM0.59m | 8:58AM0.44m | 11:12PM0.50m | 10:11AM0.40m | 11:58PM0.40m | 11:06AM0.33m | 00:34AM0.31m | 11:50AM0.25m | 1:06AM0.22m | ||||||||
6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
— | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
105 | 73 | 239 | 356 | 308 | 221 | 74 | 49 | 86 | 89 | 97 | 102 | 105 | 88 | 76 | 60 | 89 | 140 | 137 | 104 | 87 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | — | SSE 9 | NE 6 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | NE 9 | NE 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | N 5 |
20 | 56 | 62 | — | — | 9 | 33 | 37 | 27 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 24 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 7 | 31 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 10 | S 9 | — | — | E 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 13 | E 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | S 6 | NE 10 | S 8 | S 9 | N 8 | S 17 | S 16 | — | S 9 |
— | 18 | 6 | — | — | 52 | 34 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 21 | — | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 2 | NNW 3 | N 4 | WSW 3 |
564 | 533 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 12 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 193 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 194 | 0 | 111 | 317 | 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.











