Surf Forecasts:
Narrow Neck surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 7s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 11s period, SE swell with 738 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 7s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Narrow Neck this week:
The surf forecast for Narrow Neck over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 7s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Narrow Neck in the next 16 days are 1.8m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) 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 0.5m 8s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Narrow Neck over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Narrow Neck.
To be straight with you, this stretch of the next 16 days is a tough one. The water’s sitting at 68°, which is about 1° cooler than average for this time of year – nothing wild, just a touch on the fresh side. But the real story is the lack of any proper surf. We’ve got a long, drawn-out run of small, messy, onshore slop that’s barely worth paddling out for. The first few days are a write-off.
From Monday the 17th right through the rest of the week and into the weekend, it’s all cross-onshore winds and weak, short-period windswell. Wave heights hover between 3 ft and 5 ft, but the energy is weak (mostly in the 66 to 277 range), and the period is a punchy 7 to 8 seconds. The wind is blowing from the SE and SSE, which puts a chop on everything. Nothing doing here.
There’s a brief flicker of hope on Friday the 21st morning. The wind goes light from the NNW, giving us a clean, cross-off window. The swell is tiny, only 3 ft from the east with a 7-second period, and the energy is low (102). It’s surfable, but just barely – you’ll be on a log or a longboard, scratching for ankle-biters. The rest of that day and the weekend drop back into the same old story.
The following week, from Monday the 24th to Wednesday the 26th, the swell drops further to 2 ft or 3 ft, but the wind is lighter. We get some glassy moments on Wednesday the 26th morning with a light WNW breeze and a 9-second period. The energy is still meek (89), but it’s clean. Thursday the 27th morning is also glassy, with a 2 ft, 8-second swell. If you’re desperate for a paddle, those are your windows, but don’t expect a wave with any push.
The real standout, if you can call it that, is on Tuesday the 25th morning. The wind goes offshore from the WNW, light at 6 mph, and the swell is 2 ft from the ENE at 8 seconds. The energy is only 77, but it’s the cleanest, most ridable conditions we see in the whole run. It’s flat, it’s small, but it’s the best of a bad bunch.
From the end of August into September, the swell tries to pick up again. On Monday the 31st afternoon, the combined energy jumps to 503 with a 7 ft SE swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a fresh SSE cross-onshore at 19 mph. The comment says “poor surf conditions” – it’s lumpy, choppy, and ugly. The same pattern continues into Tuesday the 1st of September, with 7 ft swell and 677 energy, but again it’s cross-onshore and messy. That much energy with that wind is more of a windsurfing or kiting setup than a surf one.
So, bottom line: there’s no real swell to get excited about. The best you’ll get is a few clean, knee-high mornings on the 25th or 27th. If you’ve got a longboard and low expectations, you might find a few fun ones. Otherwise, this stretch is a snoozer.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Fri 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 7 | ESE 8 | SE 11 | ESE 7 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
261 | 228 | 215 | 273 | 524 | 738 | 171 | 148 | 118 | 168 | 127 | 102 | 103 | 61 | 61 | 64 | 112 | 83 | 79 | 73 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:27PM1.22m | 12:12PM1.23m | 00:04AM1.08m | 1:04PM1.20m | 00:45AM0.95m | 2:07PM1.18m | 1:41AM0.84m | 3:23PM1.20m | 3:04AM0.79m | 4:32PM1.25m | 4:42AM0.80m | 5:25PM1.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:28PM0.39m | 5:47AM0.27m | 6:21PM0.49m | 6:24AM0.32m | 7:28PM0.58m | 7:08AM0.37m | 8:57PM0.61m | 8:04AM0.41m | 10:29PM0.58m | 9:09AM0.42m | 11:31PM0.50m | 10:15AM0.40m | 00:13AM0.42m | |||||||
— | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | |
5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | |
mm | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | E 9 | E 9 | E 15 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 |
6 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 139 | 178 | 70 | 148 | 118 | 168 | 127 | 102 | 103 | 61 | 61 | 64 | 112 | 83 | 79 | 73 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 11 | — | SE 10 | ESE 11 | S 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | NE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 7 | S 9 | S 8 |
— | — | 5 | — | 58 | 105 | 12 | 45 | 40 | 3 | 96 | 33 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | — | — | — | ESE 12 | — | — | S 9 | ESE 12 | — | — | — | — | E 14 | E 11 | NE 9 | SSE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | SE 7 |
4 | — | — | — | 50 | — | — | 6 | 13 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | SE 11 | ESE 7 | SSW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 2 | — | — | — | — |
261 | 228 | 215 | 273 | 524 | 738 | 171 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 21 | 19 | 1 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 0 | 14 | 152 | 0 | 14 | 25 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Narrow Neck Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Narrow Neck provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Narrow Neck can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Narrow Neck 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 (Narrow Neck) 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 Narrow Neck 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.
Narrow Neck is 3 km (2 miles) from Southport. If you plan a holiday in Gold Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Southport. Southport has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











