
Surf Forecasts:
Emerald Beach surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 9s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, NNE swell with 458 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 9s period with ENE 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 11) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 3s is also forecast. 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 2.2m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Emerald Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right off the bat, the surf is pretty messy. There's a bit of swell in the water, pushing around 3ft, but a cross-on breeze is chopping it all up. It’s not worth paddling out for, just a bit of a tease. The water temp is sitting around 67°, pretty much average for this time of year.
We’ve got a couple of days of this – the swell picks up a little on Monday, but the wind is stronger and cross-onshore, so it’s just lumpy and poor. Forget it.
Tuesday, August 11th is where we finally get a glimmer of hope. The swell drops off to a tiny 2ft, but the wind goes glassy in the morning. It’s small and weak, the energy is only around 151, but it’s clean. Not a day to get excited about, but you could get a few soft ones if you’re desperate on a longboard. The wind stays light on Wednesday morning too, but it’s the same tiny, weak swell.
From Thursday through the weekend, the swell just fades away. We’re looking at ankle-biters, maybe 1ft to 2ft. Even though the winds turn offshore and the surface is clean, there just isn't enough push. It's a flat spell, no doubt. We’ve got a solid gap with nothing to ride.
Then things start to get interesting around Tuesday, August 18th. Swell builds back up to 5ft out of the east with a clean cross-off wind. The energy is starting to climb into the 300s and 400s, so there’s some life in it, but the comments say it's marginal, possibly tide-affected. It could be a bit disappointing.
The first real standout in this whole stretch is Wednesday morning, August 19th. We’ve got 5ft of east swell, a light cross-off breeze, and clean conditions. The wave energy is up to 680. This is looking like the best we’ve seen so far. It’s not huge, but it should have some shape and push.
From there, it just gets better. Thursday, August 20th looks solid. The swell jumps to 7ft – 8ft, still from the east, with moderate offshore winds in the morning. That’s a proper session. The energy is getting serious, up around 882-993. This is one to circle on the calendar.
Friday, August 21st could be the pick of the lot. The swell is a clean 7ft – 7ft from the east, the wind is dead calm and glassy in the morning. 805 energy. It’s going to be clean and powerful. This is the one to plan for.
Now, for the long-range stuff beyond that. Saturday the 22nd gets tricky. The swell gets to 8ft – 10ft and the wind turns cross-onshore and lumpy. It’s just too big and messy for a good time. The energy is huge – over 1000 and even 1491 – but it’s not going to be surfable in a fun way. Sunday the 23rd is similar, too big at Emerald Beach and cross-shore. That's when you might want to be thinking about other pursuits.
The early part of the second week, Monday, August 24th, looks cleaner again. The swell settles to 7ft – 7ft, and the wind is offshore or cross-off. More clean, powerful surf, though we’ll have to see how it actually lines up that far out.
Alright, keep it simple. The standout is undoubtedly Friday, August 21st, with its glassy conditions and solid east swell. Thursday, August 20th is also a strong call. Wednesday the 19th is looking like a good warm-up. Everything before that is just small and messy. Get ready for a bit of a dry spell before the fun kicks in.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Mon morning, calm by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | E 9 | E 9 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
162 | 151 | 309 | 458 | 264 | 128 | 80 | 80 | 96 | 90 | 92 | 66 | 43 | 43 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 55 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 5:14PM1.61m | 5:44AM0.99m | 6:12PM1.72m | 6:42AM1.06m | 7:04PM1.80m | 7:32AM1.14m | 7:51PM1.83m | 8:19AM1.21m | 8:34PM1.80m | 9:03AM1.28m | 9:16PM1.71m | 9:46AM1.32m | 9:55PM1.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:20AM0.22m | 00:09AM0.19m | 11:25AM0.16m | 1:02AM0.09m | 12:23PM0.09m | 1:48AM0.01m | 1:15PM0.03m | 2:30AM-0.04m | 2:04PM0.02m | 3:09AM-0.05m | 2:51PM0.04m | 3:45AM-0.03m | 3:38PM0.10m | ||||||||
6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 6 |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | SSW 11 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SE 7 |
162 | 151 | 99 | 176 | 264 | 128 | 67 | 80 | 96 | 158 | 92 | 66 | 43 | 43 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 377 | 31 | 30 | 55 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 8 | S 7 | S 7 | E 13 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 8 | NNE 6 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 10 | SSW 10 | NNE 5 | NNE 7 | S 18 | SSW 14 | ENE 10 | S 19 | S 19 | ENE 10 |
19 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 101 | 82 | 80 | 6 | 35 | 90 | 85 | 70 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 41 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 34 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | S 8 | E 13 | E 13 | S 9 | SSW 8 | S 8 | NNE 6 | N 11 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | S 21 | N 10 | — | NE 9 | N 7 | NE 8 | S 16 | S 16 |
11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 20 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 2 | NNE 4 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | NW 5 | NW 4 | WNW 3 | NNE 7 | — | — | NNE 3 | W 3 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | — | S 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 |
1 | 38 | 309 | 458 | 67 | 7 | 4 | 42 | — | — | 8 | 3 | 135 | 537 | 787 | 723 | 435 | — | 264 | 251 | 121 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 39 | 39 | 39 | 175 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 98 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 85 | 5 | 5 | 85 | 5 | 13 | 85 | 0 |
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











