Emerald Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 30.18° S 153.19° E

Emerald Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 pm 01 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Emerald Beach sea temperature is
20.0°C
0.1° 

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 1 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, NNE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 7s period, NNE swell with 857 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period with NNE 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 3s. 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 3.0m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 11s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Thu 3rd Sep)3.5ft (1.0m) 6s
Best Surf10PM (Thu 3rd Sep)3.5ft (1.0m) 6s
Most Powerful 7PM (Tue 8th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Emerald Beach. I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and ordinary. The forecast shows a long stretch of small, weak swell with mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds messing things up. The real problem is that the swell direction is mostly from the NNE, NE, or ENE, but this point needs swell from the NE to really work, so there’s a mismatch in direction that just kills the quality.

The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first real chance of anything surfable comes on Friday the 4th in the morning. It’s a tiny 2ft swell from the NNE, with a short period of 6 seconds, so the energy is weak (only 64). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSE, cleaning things up. Honestly, it’s surfable but very ordinary. You’ll be on a log, and you’ll be scratching for any little bump.

Then we get a bit of a lull before a slightly better window. Thursday the 10th has some potential. The morning offers a 3ft NNE swell, but with a moderate SSW offshore breeze, it’ll be clean. The energy is moderate (125). The afternoon looks similar, with a 4ft NE swell and a light cross-offshore SE wind, keeping it clean (139 energy). This is about as good as it gets for the whole outlook, but it’s still just average.

Friday the 11th through to the middle of the month is a write-off. We’re talking tiny waves, onshore winds, and even some rain and thunderstorms. There’s a real gap of poor conditions for about 5 or 6 days there.

Now, looking way out, the offshore winds start to become more consistent from the 15th onward, but the swell sizes are tiny – 2ft and dropping to 0.7ft by the 16th and 17th. The 16th of September has a very long period swell of 14 seconds from the east, but it’s so small (0.7ft) that it’s just a ripple. The energy is weak (28-35). That’s a long-period groundswell, but without any size, it’s nothing to get excited about for a point break.

So, bottom line: the best on offer is Thursday the 10th. The morning with a 3ft swell from the NNE and a clean offshore breeze is your best bet. The afternoon is also alright with a 4ft NE swell. Don’t expect much, but if you’re desperate, that’s your window. It’s not epic, but it’s the only thing even close to a standout.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
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
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
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)
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
1.1
N
5
0.9
N
5
1.1
NNE
6
1
NNE
6
0.7
NNE
6
0.6
NNE
6
0.4
ENE
9
0.4
NE
5
1.1
NNE
5
1
NNE
6
0.8
NNE
6
0.7
NNE
6
0.5
NNE
6
0.6
NE
6
1.1
NE
4
0.9
NE
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
49
49
49
65
43
69
82
33
24
28
7
52
64
51
34
20
20
43
43
Wind (km/h)
15
NNW
10
NNW
15
N
15
NW
20
NNW
15
NW
10
WSW
10
SSE
10
ESE
5
W
10
N
20
NNE
10
WNW
15
SSE
15
SE
0
ESE
15
NNE
20
NE
5
NW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
on
on
cross
High Tide
10:38PM1.28m
11:20AM1.42m
11:26PM1.14m
12:16PM1.41m
00:26AM1.00m
1:24PM1.40m
1:46AM0.90m
2:42PM1.42m
3:18AM0.88m
3:58PM1.49m
4:39AM0.93m
5:03PM1.57m
Low Tide
4:50AM0.11m
5:38PM0.30m
5:33AM0.18m
6:47PM0.37m
6:26AM0.26m
8:15PM0.40m
7:35AM0.32m
9:47PM0.36m
8:58AM0.33m
11:01PM0.26m
10:16AM0.28m
11:57PM0.16m
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
rain showers
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:01
6:01
6:00
5:58
5:56
5:56
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:31
5:31
5:32
5:32
5:34
5:34
 mm
1
Temp °C
17
24
23
20
30
30
24
20
19
18
26
23
24
22
20
19
21
20
17
Feels °C
16
20
20
18
26
27
22
18
18
19
22
22
22
21
18
18
18
18
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