Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SE swell with 1,608 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 7s period with SSE 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 7s period. 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 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
Alright, this is Rusty, your local surf reporter, coming to you live from the beach.
Well, let’s be straight with ya. We’re looking at a real slow start for the next week or so. For the next few days, it’s pretty much flat, with tiny little waves and not much energy. We’re talking a combined wave energy of just a measly 77 (weak). That’s not worth paddling out for. Things really open up on Thursday, July 16th, when a solid pulse of swell finally arrives.
The standout action kicks off early on Thursday the 16th. That’s when a decent-sized SSE swell starts pumping in. It’s a bit short-period at 8 seconds, but the size is there. We’re looking at chest-to-head-high sets, around 10ft. The wind will be howling offshore from the south, so Rainbow Bay (Rainbow-Bay) will be clean, but hold onto your board. The wave energy jumps right up to a strong 1036 (moderate to strong energy). This is looking like the best session of the whole outlook. Get it while it’s good because it’s going to be powerful.
That size hangs around through Friday and Saturday, staying around 8ft to 10ft with that strong offshore flow, so expect some heavy, fast waves. The combined energy peaks on Saturday the 18th at a massive 1516 (very strong). This is expert territory only. Beginners, stay on the sand for this one. It will be too big and powerful for you.
Things settle a touch for Sunday the 19th, still big at 10ft, before a slight drop on Monday the 20th to 8-10ft. The wind then eases a bit, giving us a better chance for a cleaner, longer wave.
By Tuesday the 21st, the swell backs off to a more manageable 6ft and the wind goes glassy in the morning. That’s a real treat after the gales. The water temp is sitting around 69°, which is about average for this time of year.
From the 22nd onwards, it fades out again. There’s a couple of glassy mornings on the 24th and 25th with waves around 3-4ft, but the energy is weak again, and conditions are pretty ordinary. The models are showing a few days of calm, glassy, and clean conditions, but the swell is small and inconsistent at that point.
Overall, your window is Thursday July 16th through to Monday July 20th. The crowds are likely at Rainbow Bay, but that’s where the best waves will be.
Catch ya on the next one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 9 | SE 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 55 | 38 | 33 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 746 | 998 | 1025 | 993 | 886 | 1009 | 1279 | 1509 | 1464 | 1526 | 1301 | 1318 | 1265 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 7:29PM1.97m | 7:49AM1.24m | 8:17PM2.01m | 8:40AM1.27m | 9:03PM2.00m | 9:27AM1.29m | 9:47PM1.94m | 10:12AM1.30m | 10:28PM1.83m | 10:57AM1.31m | 11:07PM1.70m | 11:42AM1.32m | 11:45PM1.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:40PM0.17m | 2:10AM0.22m | 1:31PM0.16m | 2:59AM0.20m | 2:20PM0.18m | 3:43AM0.20m | 3:07PM0.23m | 4:25AM0.24m | 3:53PM0.31m | 5:04AM0.30m | 4:38PM0.41m | 5:41AM0.36m | 5:26PM0.52m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | SE 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | S 5 | ESE 9 | E 9 | — | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NNE 9 | ESE 10 | — | S 19 | S 21 | E 18 | SE 19 | SE 18 | SE 18 |
| kJ | 55 | 38 | 33 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 7 | — | 3 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 152 | — | 7 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | S 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 7 | N 10 | — | — | — | S 15 | S 17 | — | — | — | E 20 | — | E 16 | — | S 17 |
| kJ | 22 | 19 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | 8 | — | 5 | — | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 7 | S 8 | N 10 | S 16 | — | — | — | — | S 17 | — | — | — | — | — | S 19 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 20 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 3 | — | — | — | SE 2 | — | S 4 | S 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 23 | 139 | 746 | 998 | 1025 | 993 | 886 | 1009 | 1279 | 1509 | 1464 | 1526 | 1301 | 1318 | 1265 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 176 | 1 | 187 | 352 | 326 | 265 | 324 | 0 | 2 | 324 | 2 | 597 | 598 | 142 | 324 | 555 | 265 | 7 | 324 | 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