Surf Forecasts:
Emerald Beach surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 6s period, NE swell with 312 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Emerald Beach in the next 16 days are 1.9m 6s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Emerald Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on offer for the next couple of weeks.
It's a bit of a slow start for the region. We're looking at a solid week of pretty ordinary, small surf before a decent window of cleaner conditions arrives. The wait is worth it for a brief spell, but don't expect any epic groundswells.
Honestly, the first few days are a write-off. From Saturday the 22nd through to the morning of Wednesday the 26th, we've got tiny, disorganised waves with a lot of onshore and cross-onshore breezes. The swell is struggling to hit 3 ft most of the time, and the energy is weak at best (47 to 127). The combined energy is sitting in the double and low triple digits, which points to a fatigued ocean. You'd be grinding for nothing.
The first real glimmer of hope comes Thursday morning, the 27th of August. The wind swings to a clean offshore from the SSW at 12 mph, and we get a consistent pulse of 5 ft ENE swell with an 8-second period. The combined energy jumps to 290 (moderate), and the comment says "expect good surf conditions." This is by far the best on offer in the whole forecast period. Emerald Beach (point) is the spot. The swell direction is NE, which matches the optimum. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about average for this time of year, so no need to dig out the steamer just yet.
The Thursday afternoon will still be fun, dropping a touch to 4 ft and a cross-off breeze, but the morning is the winner. Friday the 28th also has a chance early with a glassy 3 ft ENE swell, but the energy drops off quick.
After that, it's back to the small stuff. The rest of the forecast through the first week of September is marginal. We get some clean offshore mornings from the 29th of August through to the 2nd of September, but the swell is tiny – 2 ft to 3 ft, with weak energy. The crowds are noted as "often" at this break, so when it's this small, it'll be a mellow crew out there.
The long-range stuff into the first week of September looks even more uncertain, with nothing but small, onshore wind conditions. It's a couple of weeks of waiting for that one Thursday morning, which is your standout. For the pros, nothing here is over 8 ft, so it's all in the beginner to intermediate range. For the kites, the stronger onshore days on the 25th and 26th of August might be more interesting than anything we can paddle.
Stay tuned, and keep an eye on the long-range forecasts.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Tue afternoon, calm by Fri morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | SE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
45 | 31 | 59 | 48 | 109 | 49 | 123 | 82 | 120 | 87 | 312 | 127 | 127 | 138 | 284 | 212 | 179 | 133 | 94 | 101 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 4:07PM1.26m | 4:31AM0.82m | 5:04PM1.33m | 5:29AM0.88m | 5:51PM1.41m | 6:14AM0.95m | 6:31PM1.49m | 6:52AM1.03m | 7:06PM1.56m | 7:28AM1.11m | 7:40PM1.60m | 8:03AM1.20m | 8:13PM1.60m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:11PM0.47m | 10:03AM0.42m | 00:00AM0.39m | 11:03AM0.36m | 00:38AM0.31m | 11:51AM0.29m | 1:11AM0.22m | 12:33PM0.22m | 1:42AM0.15m | 1:12PM0.16m | 2:11AM0.09m | 1:51PM0.13m | 2:41AM0.05m | |||||||
— | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | SE 6 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | ENE 8 | S 10 | S 10 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 9 |
45 | 31 | 59 | 48 | 109 | 160 | 177 | 98 | 120 | 52 | 33 | 127 | 127 | 138 | 284 | 212 | 146 | 133 | 94 | 160 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | ENE 9 | E 8 | S 12 | S 9 | NE 7 | SE 6 | ENE 8 | S 11 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | S 14 | N 13 | S 14 | ENE 8 | S 7 | SSE 7 | ENE 8 |
5 | 8 | 1 | 146 | 83 | 49 | 16 | 82 | 79 | 20 | 43 | 46 | 44 | 34 | 3 | 4 | 179 | 88 | 49 | 101 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SE 7 | SE 7 | E 7 | NE 7 | SE 6 | S 17 | ESE 6 | ESE 5 | — | N 16 | S 10 | S 9 | N 13 | N 13 | — | S 16 | S 14 | S 9 | NE 7 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 26 | 49 | 3 | 3 | — | 5 | 16 | 15 | 4 | 3 | — | 5 | 15 | 41 | 14 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 4 | SSE 3 | — | WSW 3 | ENE 8 | NE 5 | N 3 | NE 5 | NE 6 | — | — | SSW 2 | S 5 | S 6 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 13 | 9 | — | 1 | 123 | 23 | 8 | 87 | 312 | — | — | 1 | 73 | 132 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 53 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 284 | 12 | 2 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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











