Burleigh Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for the Gold Coast. Honestly, the next week is a bit of a grind. There’s surf on offer, but it’s mostly small and messy, with a lot of cross-onshore wind messing things up. You’ll be scratching for a clean one, not scoring big barrels. The real interest is in the second week, where a proper pulse of south swell shows up and the conditions finally line up. It’s a long way out, so don’t book the time off just yet, but it’s got some potential.

The first few days are pretty average. Thursday the 6th morning has a tiny 2ft east-northeast swell, but it’s clean with a light cross-offshore breeze. It’s surfable, but only just – you’ll be on the mal for sure. Friday the 7th morning is similar, still small at 3ft, but glassy as anything. Again, it’s an ankle-knocker, but the clean conditions make it a low-stress paddle. The energy is weak, with combined readings around 120, so you’re not getting pushed around.

The weekend isn’t much better. Saturday the 8th afternoon sees a bit more push, up to 4ft, but the onshore breeze kicks up and it’s choppy. The energy is building, into the 250s, but it’s not worth fighting the mess. Sunday the 9th is the same story – 4ft but with a 20 km/h north wind, making it poor. The start of the next week, Monday the 10th, has the wind swing offshore and it turns clean, but the swell is still small at 3ft. It’s another one of those “wait for the right set” days.

The first real standout is Tuesday the 18th morning. This is the one that gets the blood pumping. The swell jumps to 8ft from the south, and the energy reading is a massive 1525 – that’s the strongest we’ve seen all period. The wind is a cross-offshore SSE breeze, so it’s going to be grinding and powerful. Burleigh Heads (Gold Coast) is a point break, and this is the kind of swell it loves. It’s a solid, powerful wave, and at 8ft it’s definitely expert territory – leave the foamies at home. The period is 9 seconds, so it’s a bit short and steep, but the quality is there. This is the pick of the whole window.

The morning of Thursday the 20th is another good one to keep an eye on. The swell is still solid at 5ft from the south-southeast, but the period has stretched out to 12 seconds, which means proper groundswell energy and better shaped waves. The conditions are glassy with a light NE wind, and the energy is still strong at 753. It’s a different feel to the Tuesday – more powerful and lined up. The only downside is the afternoon turns onshore, so you’ll want to get out early. This one is a close second to the Tuesday, but the Tuesday’s bigger size and energy just edges it.

Between the 11th and the 17th, there’s not much to get excited about – small surf and average winds. The 14th and 15th do see a jump in size with some south swell, but the quality is still rated as marginal, and the periods are short. It’s not worth the effort unless you’re desperate.

As for the water temp, it’s sitting at 68°F with a -1°F anomaly, which is about average for this time of year. A touch cool, but nothing crazy.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off for anything decent. The second week, specifically the morning of the 18th and the morning of the 20th, is where you want to be. Those are the standouts. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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