Emerald Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 30.18° S 153.19° E

Emerald Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 am 16 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Emerald Beach sea temperature is
19.8° C
0.5° 

Emerald Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Emerald Beach surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, SE swell with 3,400 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period with SE 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Emerald Beach in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Sat 18th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 9s
Best Surf10AM (Sat 18th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 9s
Most Powerful 7PM (Sat 18th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Emerald Beach over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m gonna give it to you straight – the next couple of weeks at Emerald Beach start off slow, real slow. But hang in there, because there’s a sweet little window of clean surf coming, and it might just be worth waiting for.

Right now, through Thursday the 16th into Friday the 17th, it’s flat to tiny, with messy cross-off winds blowing hard around 18 to 22 mph. Not worth getting wet. The energy is barely there – zero to almost nothing. Just save your energy.

Then things get a bit crazy. Saturday the 18th morning brings a big 12 ft SE swell with a 9-second period and a massive energy reading of 1697 – that’s serious power. But it’s just too big for this point break, especially with the wind still cross-off at 22 mph. Sunday the 19th morning is even bigger, with 13 ft SE swell and a whopping 3075 energy. Again, way too big for comfort unless you’re a real expert, and even then the wind ain’t helping. The afternoon drops to 8 ft, but it’s still marginal.

Monday the 20th has 8 ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period and moderate energy around 1422, but it’s cross-off and marginal.

Now, here’s the good part. Tuesday the 21st is your standout day. The morning brings a clean 7 ft E swell (10-second period, energy 818) with light offshore winds from the south at only 6 mph. The afternoon holds at 6 ft E swell with a light cross-off breeze. This is your best bet – solid waves, good shape, and clean conditions.

Wednesday the 22nd morning is a gem – glassy conditions, wind from the south at just 3 mph, and a clean 5 ft E swell (369 energy). That’s the kind of morning where you feel like you’ve got the place to yourself. The afternoon gets a bit onshore, so get out early.

Thursday the 23rd morning stays glassy with a small 4 ft ENE swell (251 energy) and no wind. Really clean, but small. A longboard would be perfect.

From Friday the 24th onward, it fades fast. The swell drops under 3 ft, periods shorten to 8 seconds or less, and energy levels fall below 100. There are a few offshore mornings (like Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th), but the wave height is tiny – around 2 ft to 3 ft. Not worth the trip unless you’re just itching to get wet.

So here’s the bottom line: the first week is mostly a bust, with a couple of big, blown-out swells. Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd morning are your true standouts. After that, it goes quiet. This break is fairly consistent, so it won’t stay flat forever, but for this forecast, the best is right in the middle.

That’s all I got. Keep your board waxed and your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Thu night). Mainly strong winds.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Sun morning, calm by Tue night).

Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
!
!
!
!
!
!
3
2
3
3
2
1
1
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
SSE
8
3
SSE
8
0.1
NE
9
0.2
NNE
8
0.2
NNE
8
2.5
SSE
7
3.5
SE
9
4
SE
10
4
SE
10
3.5
SE
10
3.5
SE
10
3
ESE
10
2.4
ESE
10
2.2
E
10
2
E
10
1.8
E
10
1.7
E
10
1.5
E
10
1.3
E
10
1.2
E
10
1.1
E
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
0
0
3
7
6
0
1761
2894
2922
2495
2448
1601
1064
910
755
625
563
440
319
267
212
Wind (km/h)
35
S
35
S
30
SSE
30
SSE
30
SSE
30
S
35
S
40
S
35
S
35
S
35
S
25
SSE
20
SSE
20
SSE
10
SE
10
S
5
ESE
10
WNW
5
NW
15
NE
10
WNW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
9:42PM1.82m
10:15AM1.17m
10:27PM1.71m
11:04AM1.19m
11:10PM1.55m
11:55AM1.21m
11:54PM1.37m
12:48PM1.22m
00:39AM1.19m
1:44PM1.22m
1:29AM1.04m
2:44PM1.24m
2:30AM0.92m
Low Tide
3:06PM0.04m
4:23AM-0.02m
3:56PM0.11m
5:05AM0.02m
4:47PM0.20m
5:45AM0.08m
5:41PM0.32m
6:24AM0.15m
6:40PM0.43m
7:04AM0.22m
7:50PM0.51m
7:47AM0.28m
9:09PM0.54m
clear
cloud
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
cloud
light rain
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:41
6:41
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:39
6:39
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:04
5:05
5:05
5:06
5:06
5:07
5:07
 mm
4
1
1
4
1
3
Temp °C
18
18
17
18
18
17
18
18
17
17
18
17
18
18
18
17
17
16
19
18
16
Feels °C
10
11
11
12
12
11
11
11
11
10
12
12
14
15
15
16
16
16
16
15
15
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Emerald Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest