Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, ENE swell with 176 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rainbow Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rainbow Bay in the next 16 days are 1.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the only wave on the menu for this neck of the woods.
Honestly, mate, it’s a bit of a dry spell. The forecast for the next 16 days is pretty flat and ordinary, with only a few windows that are really just "surfable" rather than "good." We're looking at Rainbow Bay for the entire outlook, and it’s a sheltered spot, so it doesn't get the big stuff. The first couple of days are a write-off with poor surf conditions. There’s a long gap of nothing really worthwhile until we start seeing a bit of life on Monday the 24th.
From Monday the 24th onwards, the swell bumps up a little with a combined energy of 272 (moderate) in the morning and 139 in the afternoon. It's small, around 3ft to 3ft, with a 9-second period from the S and ENE. The wind is light off or cross-off, so it’s clean. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s rideable. The water is sitting at about 69°, which is pretty normal for the time of year.
The best run we’ve got is actually towards the very end. On the morning of the 5th of September, we have a glassy early session with a 3ft East swell, a 9-second period, and a combined energy of 228 (moderate). The wind is absolutely glassy – perfect conditions – and the wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." For a spot that’s fairly consistent and sheltered, this is your standout. It won't be huge, but it will be clean.
Also keep an eye on the 6th of September, Sunday morning. We get a 4ft swell from the North with 6-second period. The wind is offshore at 16 mph and clean, so it’s gonna be clean but pretty short period. The combined energy is 182 (moderate). It’s small for a point break, but if you’re a beginner, this is your window. Anything over 5ft here might be too much for a learner, but 4ft is just right. Crowds are often at Rainbow Bay, so expect company.
In summary, it’s not a classic, but the 5th of September morning and the 6th of September morning are your best bets for a clean, small wave. The rest is pretty marginal.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | S 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 68 | 70 | 72 | 87 | 78 | 70 | 126 | 92 | 119 | 125 | 157 | 142 | 151 | 140 | 140 | 171 | 134 | 130 | 103 | 136 | 140 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 4:06PM1.44m | 4:06AM0.98m | 5:05PM1.53m | 5:19AM1.04m | 5:52PM1.62m | 6:12AM1.13m | 6:33PM1.69m | 6:54AM1.21m | 7:10PM1.74m | 7:31AM1.29m | 7:45PM1.76m | 8:06AM1.36m | 8:18PM1.75m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:07PM0.72m | 9:53AM0.56m | 11:58PM0.62m | 10:57AM0.52m | 00:38AM0.52m | 11:49AM0.47m | 1:12AM0.43m | 12:34PM0.41m | 1:44AM0.36m | 1:15PM0.36m | 2:14AM0.30m | 1:53PM0.32m | 2:43AM0.27m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 68 | 70 | 72 | 87 | 78 | 70 | 81 | 92 | 119 | 125 | 157 | 142 | 151 | 140 | 140 | 171 | 134 | 130 | 103 | 136 | 140 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 4 | S 6 | SSE 6 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | NE 7 | NNE 7 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | S 9 |
| kJ | 14 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 40 | 30 | 50 | 48 | 45 | 29 | 16 | 7 | 20 | 23 | 88 | 69 | 50 | 54 | 37 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | NE 10 | SE 12 | S 9 | NE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 16 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 11 | S 5 | S 9 | S 8 | NE 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 15 | 30 | 31 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | — | — | SSW 2 | SSE 2 | — | S 9 | — | — | NE 4 | — | N 4 | N 4 | NW 3 | — | SSW 3 | SSE 4 | S 5 | S 4 | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 126 | — | — | 16 | — | 12 | 16 | 5 | — | 4 | 22 | 10 | 6 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 567 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Rainbow Bay 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 Rainbow Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rainbow Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rainbow Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rainbow Bay 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 (Rainbow Bay) 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 Rainbow Bay 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.
Rainbow Bay is 6 km (4 miles) from Banora Point. If you plan a holiday in Gold Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Banora Point. Banora Point has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest