Surf Forecasts:
Emerald Beach surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, ESE swell with 592 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. 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 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 7s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Emerald Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break it down in feet and miles per hour.
Same quiet start. Monday the 17th is a washout with rain and a messy 6ft ESE swell, cross-shore wind at 15 km/h. Nothing doing. First chance to surf is Tuesday morning August 18th – we’ve got about 5ft of ESE swell, period only 8 seconds, but the wind is a clean cross-offshore out of the SSE at 10 km/h. That’ll be rideable and clean. Water temp is 19°, average for this time of year.
Best session of the whole run is Wednesday morning August 19th. Swell is 4ft from the SE, period up to 10 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. Combined energy is a solid moderate 403. Wind is light offshore from the south at 5 km/h, so the waves will be smooth and lining up on the point at Emerald Beach. This break handles a SE swell nicely despite its NE optimum, and the offshore flow makes it glassy. Crowds are a factor here – it often gets busy, so plan accordingly. The longer period will give the waves some real push and nice shape, perfect for a point. Afternoon stays fine but the wind turns cross-onshore, so the window is the morning.
Thursday the 20th turns ugly. Onshore wind picks up to 20 km/h from the NNE by the afternoon, and the swell is bumpy 5ft from the E. Friday and the weekend are dead – small, messy, or both. Sunday morning August 23rd gives a brief glassy moment with 3ft ENE swell, but it’s underwhelming. The whole second week stays below 3ft, with the only real hope being Wednesday August 27th morning: no wind, glassy, but only 3ft of ENE energy. Not worth writing home about.
If you’ve got one slot, make it Wednesday morning August 19th at Emerald Beach. That’s the call: clean, chest-high SE swell with a light offshore – that’s the session.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | E 7 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 289 | 297 | 213 | 334 | 293 | 348 | 245 | 176 | 186 | 195 | 71 | 64 | 116 | 118 | 73 | 79 | 109 | 93 | 66 | 64 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 11:12PM1.24m | 11:58AM1.31m | 11:53PM1.08m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:13PM0.30m | 5:26AM0.18m | 6:07PM0.41m | 6:02AM0.26m | 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 | |||||||
 |  | | |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — |
mm | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 9 | SE 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 79 | 61 | 120 | 334 | 293 | 348 | 245 | 176 | 186 | 10 | 71 | 64 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 109 | 93 | 66 | 64 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SE 12 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 7 | SE 7 | E 8 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 7 | S 9 | SE 8 | S 21 | S 6 |
| kJ | 16 | 16 | 43 | 24 | 135 | 55 | 44 | 24 | 10 | 9 | 24 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 24 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 14 | E 9 | ESE 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | ESE 12 | NE 9 | — | SSE 8 | S 13 | S 12 | E 8 | E 11 | S 10 | S 6 | S 9 | S 8 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 37 | 33 | 15 | 70 | 57 | 35 | 29 | 14 | 3 | — | 23 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 91 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 7 | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NNE 5 | S 5 | S 4 | — |
| kJ | 289 | 297 | 213 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 195 | 4 | 4 | 116 | 118 | 73 | 79 | 12 | 2 | 8 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 176 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 2 | 185 | 2 | 2 | 394 | 12 | 2 | 394 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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
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