Surf Forecasts:
Jailbreaks surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 20s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 18s period, SSW swell with 2,466 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 12s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Jailbreaks this week:
The surf forecast for Jailbreaks over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Jailbreaks in the next 16 days are 2.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 9s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (+05) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 20s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jailbreaks over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty coming at you from right here. Let’s get into it.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first few days—Wednesday afternoon through the weekend—have some swell, but the conditions are a bit messy with risk of thunderstorms and cross-off winds. The water is sitting at 84°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. The wave energy is in the moderate range (445). It’s not total flatness, but it’s not calling me out of bed early.
The real pulse starts to build Monday, 17th August. We’ve got a solid jump in energy—814 on the morning—and the swell is coming from the S with a very long period of 22 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, pushing in with some serious shape. The wave height is 3ft, but with that period, the sets will have plenty of push. Gentle breeze, cross-off, and clean. This is the moment the week turns on.
But the true standout window? Tuesday, 18th August. That’s the one. Morning and afternoon both scoring well. Swell from the SSW at 6ft–7ft, period 18 seconds, and the energy is pumping hard—2352 and 2519. That’s strong wave energy. Winds are light, W at 9 mph, and cross-off, so the surface will be clean. This is advanced territory at 7ft, so only the experienced crew should be paddling out. Jails (Jailbreaks) is a reef break, exposed to the S, which is close to the optimum direction from the SSW. This is the best on offer, no question.
Wednesday, 19th August, the swell is still solid at 6ft, but the wind shifts to a cross-shore, and the wave comment notes a slight cross-chop. Still good, but not as clean as Tuesday. Energy remains high (1699).
Thursday, 20th August, backs off a bit—3ft, but still a long period of 15 seconds, and the wind is gentle and cross-off again. Clean. Good for a more relaxed session. Energy drops to 984.
The next week settles into smaller, cleaner conditions. Friday 21st through Sunday 23rd, we’re looking at 3ft–4ft, period 13–15 seconds, gentle cross-off breezes, and clean waves. Consistent but not firing. Good for a paddle if you’re keen.
Then Monday 24th, the swell drops to 2ft–2ft, but the period jumps to 17–20 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell—it’ll be fat and slow at a beach break, but at a reef like Jails, it could still offer some fun lines. Wind is picking up to 12–16 mph, moderate breeze. Marginal.
Now, another window of interest: Tuesday 25th August. Swell is back up to 5ft–6ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, energy strong at 1512–1793. Winds are moderate, cross-off, but the 26th looks even better. Wednesday morning, 26th August, we get offshore winds from the SW at 12 mph, 6ft SSW swell, 15-second period, and the wave comment says excellent for experienced surfers. That’s clean and lined up. Energy is 1467. This is a solid second standout, but it’s over a week away, so keep an eye on it.
Thursday 27th morning also has offshore winds, 4ft from the SW, 14-second period, and clean. A nice option if the bigger swell is too much.
So, the pick of the period is Tuesday, 18th August. Big swell, long period, clean, strong energy, and the reef should handle it beautifully. The second standout is Wednesday, 26th August, with offshore winds and solid SSW swell. Everything else is manageable but not magic.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 27°C on Wed afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Sat afternoon, min 27°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 22 | SSW 21 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
372 | 411 | 427 | 404 | 331 | 274 | 339 | 338 | 345 | 338 | 304 | 292 | 292 | 255 | 606 | 1554 | 2251 | 2242 | 2411 | 1842 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:05AM0.74m | 1:41PM0.97m | 1:47AM0.81m | 2:07PM0.98m | 2:27AM0.85m | 2:32PM0.96m | 3:04AM0.87m | 2:56PM0.93m | 3:39AM0.85m | 3:18PM0.87m | 4:14AM0.81m | 3:38PM0.81m | 4:50AM0.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:30PM0.26m | 7:04AM0.10m | 7:55PM0.19m | 7:42AM0.12m | 8:22PM0.13m | 8:17AM0.16m | 8:48PM0.09m | 8:49AM0.21m | 9:15PM0.07m | 9:19AM0.27m | 9:42PM0.08m | 9:48AM0.33m | 10:08PM0.10m | |||||||
— | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | |
6:17 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | |
mm | 4 | 4 | — | 1 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
Feels °C | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | WNW 9 | SSW 21 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 |
372 | 411 | 427 | 404 | 331 | 274 | 339 | 338 | 345 | 338 | 304 | 292 | 292 | 255 | 181 | 1554 | 2251 | 2242 | 2411 | 1842 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 |
134 | 111 | 101 | 104 | 97 | 188 | 248 | 197 | 181 | 226 | 240 | 181 | 197 | 175 | 208 | 200 | 161 | 110 | 108 | 103 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SE 10 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 22 | S 22 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
73 | 104 | 46 | 46 | 44 | 100 | 55 | 107 | 51 | 54 | 31 | 28 | 27 | 183 | 606 | 183 | 137 | 92 | 80 | 58 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | SSW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 4 | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 159 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2624 | 442 | 435 | 282 | 254 | 0 | 254 | 398 | 0 | 254 | 0 | 254 | 398 | 254 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Male Atoll | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Maldives | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Jailbreaks Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Jailbreaks provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Jailbreaks can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Jailbreaks 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 (Jailbreaks) 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 Jailbreaks 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 Male Atoll? If you are looking for accommodation near Jailbreaks, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in North Male Atoll, consider staying in Male which is 40 km (25 miles) away.











