Surf Forecasts:
Burleigh Heads surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, SE swell with 204 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period with ENE 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. 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 1.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Burleigh Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Well, I’ve been staring at the charts for Burleigh Heads and honestly, it’s a bit of a flat spell to kick things off. The first few days are a write-off, with a small, short-period easterly swell getting chopped up by cross-shore winds. We’re looking at a run of pretty ordinary conditions right through until the end of August. You’ll see a small bump in energy, but the wind just won’t play ball. The standout window is a brief moment on the morning of Tuesday the 25th of August, when the wind drops out completely. For that morning, Burleigh Heads (Gold Coast) will have clean, glassy conditions with a 3ft swell from the ENE and an 8-second period. The wave energy is moderate (169), but the real appeal is the absolute stillness. That’s your one true window for a smooth, clean session, and it’s about as good as it gets in this forecast. After that, the wind swings around and the quality drops back down.
Through the rest of the first week and into September, the swell stays small, mostly around 3ft to 5ft, and the direction keeps swinging between ENE and ESE. The period never gets long enough to call it proper groundswell. You’ll see some cleaner moments on the morning of Thursday the 27th of August, with a clean cross-off breeze, but the swell is small and the energy is only moderate (118). Then again on the morning of Saturday the 29th of August, it’s glassy again with a 3ft E swell and a bit more energy (210), but the period is still only 9 seconds. That’s another decent window, but not quite the same quality as the 25th. The water temperature is sitting at 69°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
The second week looks pretty flat and uninspiring. The swell stays in the 2ft to 5ft range, but the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the period stays short. There’s no real standout in that second week, just a lot of poor surf conditions. Honestly, the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September has a 5ft swell from the E and a bit more energy (317), but the cross-shore breeze and short period (7 seconds) mean it won’t be worth the paddle. So, take that Tuesday the 25th of August morning, and maybe the Saturday the 29th of August morning, and make the most of them. Everything else is a bit of a write-off.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 102 | 114 | 121 | 105 | 113 | 116 | 137 | 142 | 111 | 120 | 74 | 73 | 118 | 139 | 204 | 107 | 94 | 140 | 150 | 146 | 111 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:09PM1.36m | 5:26AM0.92m | 5:52PM1.46m | 6:08AM1.00m | 6:29PM1.56m | 6:45AM1.08m | 7:03PM1.64m | 7:19AM1.15m | 7:35PM1.70m | 7:52AM1.23m | 8:06PM1.71m | 8:26AM1.30m | 8:39PM1.68m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:11AM0.40m | 11:58PM0.40m | 11:06AM0.33m | 00:34AM0.31m | 11:50AM0.25m | 1:06AM0.22m | 12:29PM0.17m | 1:37AM0.14m | 1:06PM0.11m | 2:06AM0.08m | 1:42PM0.08m | 2:35AM0.05m | 2:19PM0.07m | 3:05AM0.03m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | NE 10 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 |
| kJ | 102 | 114 | 4 | 105 | 113 | 116 | 137 | 142 | 111 | 120 | 74 | 73 | 118 | 133 | 62 | 83 | 81 | 140 | 150 | 146 | 111 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | NE 10 | SE 11 | S 9 | S 6 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 9 | NNE 6 | NE 6 | NE 9 | S 17 | NE 8 | NE 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 8 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 27 | 70 | 29 | 28 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 34 | 19 | 39 | 5 | 48 | 28 | 31 | 60 | 68 | 67 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | S 9 | S 10 | SSE 13 | SE 11 | NE 9 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | NE 16 | NE 14 | NE 14 | S 9 | NE 12 | NE 12 | S 10 | S 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 10 | NE 7 | NE 10 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 8 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 5 | 18 | 33 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | SE 3 | ENE 7 | S 4 | — | — | — | N 3 | N 4 | NW 3 | NNE 7 | — | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 5 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 9 | 121 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 16 | 2 | 56 | — | 102 | 139 | 204 | 107 | 94 | 13 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 |
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.
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