Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period, SSE swell with 454 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s is also forecast. 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 1.7m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, breakin' down the next few weeks for Rainbow Bay.
Water temp is a standard 69°, nothing unusual. The first couple weeks have some okay pulses, but we're really waitin' on a couple of solid windows.
Saturday the 29th of August starts us off with a 4ft swell from the SSE, 10-second period, moderate energy (383). Light offshore wind in the morning keeps things clean. It's rideable, nothin' special. Wind picks up in the afternoon and it gets messy.
Sunday the 30th of August morning is the first real highlight. Swell bumps to 6ft from the SSE, 7-second period, energy jumps (426). Straight offshore wind from the S makes for a clean, punchy session—best of the weekend. Afternoon goes cross-off, still okay.
Monday the 31st morning drops to 5ft, still with offshore wind, so a decent session for those who don't mind a smaller wave. After that, it's a long dry spell. From Monday afternoon through to Tuesday the 8th of September, we're lookin' at nearly a week and a half of tiny, weak surf. Swell drops below 3ft, winds turn onshore, and combined energy readings sink as low as 118 and 138. Not much doin', except maybe Tuesday the 1st of September morning with a weak 3ft and a cross-off wind—but it's low energy (646).
Things perk up Tuesday the 8th of September afternoon with a 3ft SE swell, 12-second period, and energy jumps to 1771. Cross-off wind has it cleaning up nicely. Promising.
The big standout of the whole outlook is Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th of September. Wednesday morning brings a 3ft SSE swell with a 16-second period—that's proper groundswell—and energy hits 2165. Downside is onshore wind that morning, so wait for it to shift. Wednesday afternoon still carries a 3ft SE swell with a 14-second period and 2103 energy, with a light cross-shore breeze. This is the best window: long-period, decent size for the point, and workable wind. Thursday the 10th morning is clean with a 3ft SSE swell and cross-off breeze.
After that, it fades again into smaller, mixed conditions through the 11th and 12th of September. Size stays under 3ft.
So, to sum it up: Sunday the 30th of August morning for a clean 6ft, and then the long-period groundswell on Wednesday and Thursday (9th and 10th of September) for some real quality. Crowds are common here, so you'll have company when it's good. The spot is fairly consistent, so even when it goes flat, it usually bounces back.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | E 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | E 9 | E 9 | N 5 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | NNE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 325 | 339 | 35 | 286 | 405 | 325 | 294 | 256 | 165 | 100 | 105 | 75 | 82 | 82 | 49 | 45 | 45 | 36 | 38 | 33 | 53 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:51PM1.71m | 9:14AM1.45m | 9:25PM1.63m | 9:51AM1.48m | 10:01PM1.53m | 10:32AM1.50m | 10:41PM1.41m | 11:20AM1.50m | 11:28PM1.27m | 12:19PM1.49m | 00:27AM1.14m | 1:29PM1.49m | 1:44AM1.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:31PM0.29m | 3:13AM0.24m | 3:10PM0.29m | 3:43AM0.23m | 3:52PM0.31m | 4:16AM0.24m | 4:39PM0.36m | 4:53AM0.26m | 5:35PM0.42m | 5:38AM0.30m | 6:46PM0.49m | 6:33AM0.35m | 8:15PM0.52m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 27 | 24 | 21 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | E 9 | E 8 | SSE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | S 10 |
| kJ | 325 | 55 | 35 | 100 | 42 | 39 | 23 | 22 | 165 | 100 | 105 | 75 | 82 | 82 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 48 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | NE 10 | NE 10 | E 8 | NE 12 | NE 13 | SSE 19 | SSE 17 | E 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | E 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | E 9 |
| kJ | 54 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 30 | 22 | 73 | 71 | 66 | 70 | 68 | 49 | 31 | 32 | 28 | 38 | 33 | 27 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 11 | NE 7 | NE 6 | E 15 | N 15 | NE 13 | NE 13 | E 12 | E 11 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | NE 4 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 | SSE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | S 5 |
| kJ | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 24 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | SSE 10 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | N 3 | N 4 | N 4 | N 4 | N 4 | N 5 | — | — | NNE 6 |
| kJ | 19 | 339 | 166 | 286 | 405 | 325 | 294 | 256 | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 22 | 36 | — | — | 53 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 187 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 1 | 1 | 183 | 10 | 4 | 183 | 1 | 16 | 265 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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