Surf Forecasts:
Emerald Beach surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 7s period, NE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 6s period, NNE swell with 286 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 7s period with NE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Emerald Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Emerald Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Emerald Beach in the next 16 days are 1.9m 6s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 10s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Emerald Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mates, let’s break it down. This stretch is a real mixed bag, and mostly a frustrating one. The first decent chance to get wet isn’t until Thursday, 27 August. The swell is small, around 3ft, coming from the ENE, but the early morning has a clean offshore wind out of the south. The combined wave energy is moderate (108), and while it’s nothing to write home about, it’s the first surfable moment. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-off breeze, but it’s not a game-changer.
Then the bottom falls out. From Friday the 28th through the end of the month, the surf drops to ankle-snappers—mostly 2ft or less—with a lot of onshore or side-onshore wind. The combined energy sinks into the 50s and 60s (weak), and the conditions are just poor. A few mornings like Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th have clean offshore winds, but the swell is so tiny (2ft) you’d be paddling for nothing. That’s a solid gap of several days with nothing to ride.
The next real glimmer is Friday, 4 September. The morning is clean with a light offshore from the south, but the swell is only 2ft. However, the afternoon fires up a bit: a fresh 30 km/h south wind blowing offshore, and the swell lifts to 4ft from the east with a 10-second period. The combined energy is moderate (230). That’s the best-looking session of the whole forecast.
Saturday, 5 September is also worth a look. The morning brings a 5ft swell from the ENE, clean offshore wind from the SSW. The combined energy is moderate (190). That’s getting a bit big for beginners, but for intermediates, it’s a solid go. The period is short at 6 seconds, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but it’s clean.
After that, the swell dwindles and the wind turns ugly again. The water temp is around 20°C, which is right on average for this time of year.
The spot to focus on is Emerald Beach, a point break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the NE swell, which is what we’re getting. The optimum swell direction is NE, so those east and ENE swells are close enough to work. Crowds are often an issue here, so plan for company.
If you’re looking for the best of a rough patch, Friday afternoon, 4 September and Saturday morning, 5 September are your best bets. The rest of the 16 days are mostly a skunk, so keep your expectations low.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | NE 8 | NE 5 | NNE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 134 | 62 | 132 | 123 | 286 | 147 | 116 | 88 | 108 | 122 | 98 | 64 | 56 | 59 | 55 | 55 | 62 | 65 | 65 | 135 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | on | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 5:51PM1.41m | 6:14AM0.95m | 6:31PM1.49m | 6:52AM1.03m | 7:06PM1.56m | 7:28AM1.11m | 7:40PM1.60m | 8:03AM1.20m | 8:13PM1.60m | 8:38AM1.27m | 8:46PM1.57m | 9:14AM1.34m | 9:20PM1.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:38AM0.31m | 11:51AM0.29m | 1:11AM0.22m | 12:33PM0.22m | 1:42AM0.15m | 1:12PM0.16m | 2:11AM0.09m | 1:51PM0.13m | 2:41AM0.05m | 2:30PM0.12m | 3:11AM0.03m | 3:10PM0.14m | 3:41AM0.03m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | NE 8 | S 10 | S 11 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 11 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 174 | 100 | 132 | 53 | 20 | 147 | 116 | 88 | 108 | 221 | 205 | 169 | 157 | 275 | 55 | 55 | 160 | 377 | 233 | 135 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | ENE 8 | S 11 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | N 13 | S 11 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 11 | NE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 49 | 62 | 79 | 20 | 44 | 46 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 122 | 98 | 64 | 56 | 59 | 4 | 2 | 62 | 65 | 65 | 41 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | S 17 | S 18 | — | N 16 | S 10 | S 9 | N 13 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | S 10 | S 9 |
| kJ | 10 | 22 | 25 | — | 5 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 68 | 61 | 32 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 39 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | NNE 5 | NW 3 | NE 5 | NNE 6 | — | S 4 | SSW 5 | S 5 | — | — | — | ENE 3 | — | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 6 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 134 | 33 | 2 | 123 | 286 | — | 1 | 54 | 69 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 407 | 482 | 93 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 176 | 2 | 39 | 268 | 2 | 2 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Emerald Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Emerald Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Emerald Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Emerald Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Emerald Beach 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 (Emerald Beach) 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 Emerald Beach 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.
Are you planning a holiday in North Coast - New South Wales? If you are looking for accommodation near Emerald Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in North Coast - New South Wales, consider staying in Coffs Harbour which is 21 km (13 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in South Grafton which is 53 km (33 miles) away
Nearest