Emerald Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 30.18° S 153.19° E

Emerald Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 am 19 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Emerald Beach sea temperature is
19.4° C
0.6° 

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 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, ESE swell with 554 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period with ESE 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 19) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 10s period. 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 1.6m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 9s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Wed 19th Aug)5ft (1.6m) 10s
Best Surf10AM (Wed 19th Aug)5ft (1.6m) 10s
Most Powerful10AM (Wed 19th Aug)5ft (1.6m) 10s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s talk about what’s coming up for Emerald Beach. This is a point break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to swell, with an optimum direction coming from the NE. The water temp right now is sitting at 67°, which is about 1° cooler than the long-term average, so pretty normal for this time of year.

The opening call is Wednesday morning, the 19th of August. We’ve got a 5ft ESE groundswell rolling in with a 10-second period and combined energy of 554 – that’s moderate energy. And the wind? Bloody magic – glassy, dead calm from the south at just 3 mph. This is the standout session of the whole window. Clean, lined-up waves, that point will be working, and with crowds listed as “often” you’ll likely have company, but it’ll be worth sharing the takeoff zone. Sets will have some push to them, so it’s intermediate territory.

Wednesday afternoon the swell drops to 4ft SE, still a 10-second period, but the wind swings east and goes light cross. It’s surfable, but nothing compared to the morning. Thursday morning, the 20th, sees a 5ft easterly swell but the period drops to a short 7 seconds, and it’s cross-on from the NNW. That combo kills the quality – choppy and a bit jumbled. Not worth paddling out for. Thursday afternoon gets worse – 3ft ENE, onshore NNE wind at 12 mph, rough.

From Friday the 21st right through to Tuesday the 1st of September, it’s mostly a write-off. The swell stays small – below 4ft – and the winds are a mix of cross-on and onshore, often moderate strength. The energy is low, with values mostly under 100. There’s a brief flicker Saturday morning the 22nd: 3ft NE swell, glassy calm, but the waves are tiny and ordinary. Sunday the 23rd morning gives a little 2ft ENE swell with clean offshore S wind at 6 mph, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. There’s a real gap from the 21st to the 1st where the surf is either poor or barely surfable.

Then, on Wednesday the 2nd of September, things perk up. The afternoon session shows a 5ft SE swell with a 9-second period, combined energy of 394 – that’s moderate, and it’s clean with light cross-off winds. That’s promising. The morning of the 3rd of September keeps it going with a 3ft SE swell, 9-second period, 216 energy, and light cross-off wind again. Both of those days look good but are still a long way out, so treat ‘em as promising but not locked in yet.

All up, ignore most of the next week and a half. Your best bet is Wednesday morning the 19th of August at Emerald Beach with that glassy 5ft groundswell. The second week has a solid-looking window but wait and see.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 14°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
Rating
(10 max)
3
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.6
ESE
10
1.2
SE
10
1.2
ESE
9
1.5
E
7
1
ENE
7
0.9
ENE
6
0.9
ENE
6
1.2
NE
4
1.1
NE
5
0.9
NE
6
0.8
ENE
7
0.7
ENE
7
0.6
ENE
7
0.7
ENE
8
0.7
NE
7
0.8
NE
8
1.1
NE
8
0.8
ENE
8
1.3
NE
8
1.2
ENE
8
1.1
NE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
554
281
232
239
91
69
59
58
72
56
57
42
34
55
54
77
157
75
239
166
145
Wind (km/h)
5
S
5
E
10
WSW
5
NNW
20
NNE
10
NW
15
N
25
NNE
10
NNW
0
W
5
WNW
10
WSW
10
S
5
SE
10
NW
20
N
25
NNE
15
NNW
20
N
25
NNE
10
NW
Wind State
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
glassy
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross
High Tide
12:49PM1.27m
00:41AM0.94m
1:49PM1.23m
1:46AM0.84m
2:58PM1.23m
3:12AM0.80m
4:07PM1.26m
4:31AM0.82m
5:04PM1.33m
5:29AM0.88m
5:51PM1.41m
6:14AM0.95m
6:31PM1.49m
Low Tide
7:10PM0.50m
6:44AM0.35m
8:31PM0.55m
7:39AM0.41m
10:01PM0.53m
8:51AM0.44m
11:11PM0.47m
10:03AM0.42m
00:00AM0.39m
11:03AM0.36m
00:38AM0.31m
11:51AM0.29m
1:11AM0.22m
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
cloud
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:18
6:16
6:15
6:13
6:13
6:11
6:11
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:23
5:23
5:24
5:25
5:25
5:27
5:27
 mm
1
1
1
Temp °C
17
18
16
18
18
15
20
18
16
19
18
17
17
17
16
21
20
17
22
21
18
Feels °C
15
17
17
16
14
13
17
14
14
19
17
16
16
17
15
18
16
15
18
20
17
  • 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