Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, SE swell with 568 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period with ESE 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rainbow Bay in the next 16 days are 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Rainbow Bay.
You know, the next couple of days aren’t really going to get the heart pumping, to be honest. It’s that kind of start. The water temp’s sitting around 68°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th, the swell’s hanging just under the 6 ft mark from the ESE/SE, but it’s short period stuff – around 7 to 8 seconds – and it’s cross-off breeze with moderate wind. The combined energy's moderate, but you’re looking at around 440 to 545 (units) of it, which sounds bigger than it feels. It’s honestly just ordinary. The call is “marginal,” and I’d agree.
Now, Wednesday the 19th is where we get a real blip of hope. The swell drops a bit to 5-6 ft from the SE, but the period jumps up to 11 seconds on the morning, which is a proper groundswell. The wind is a gentle SSE cross-off, and the wave energy climbs up to 707 (units). The description says “expect good surf conditions,” and that’s the best we’re going to get in this run. It won’t be huge, but it’ll have some push. Keep in mind though, a longer period SE swell at a sheltered point like Rainbow Bay? That should actually set up nicely for the banks here. It’s beginner-friendly at that size, too. Just a heads up – this spot can get crowded, and it says “often,” so you’ll want to be early if you can.
Thursday the 20th still has some clean-ish waves in the morning, 4 ft, but the energy drops to 253 and the period falls off. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. By Friday the 21st, the wind goes onshore from the north, and the whole thing just drops away. From that Friday right through to around Sunday the 30th of August, we’re looking at a long, flat spell where almost every entry is “poor surf conditions” or very small, weak energy (down to 74-94 units). There are a couple of days with offshore wind or clean conditions, but the swell is tiny – under 3 ft – and the period is short, so you’d be scratching for a ride.
Around Wednesday the 26th, there’s a brief moment with offshore wind and a clean 4 ft from the SSE, but the period is only 7 seconds and the energy is 166 – just very ordinary. Not worth getting excited about.
Thursday the 27th to Saturday the 29th is more small, weak surf with occasionally clean conditions, but the wave heights stay under 3 ft and the periods are mixed. There’s a weird little spike on the 28th where a 16-second period from the SE shows up with only 1 ft – that’s all period and no height, so it’ll be tiny and tricky.
The tail end, Sunday the 30th, brings a modest lift: 4 ft from the S with a 9-second period and 275 units of energy. It’s clean, but the call is “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s not a standout, just slightly less flat than the rest.
So, the bottom line: Wednesday the 19th is your best bet by a long shot. Head down early for a clean, fun-sized 5-6 ft SE groundswell with light wind. After that, it’s a long wait until maybe the 30th for anything that even qualifies as a wave. It’s a quiet stretch, mate.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 15°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Warm (max 21°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
352 | 416 | 427 | 502 | 497 | 512 | 568 | 478 | 296 | 221 | 327 | 103 | 124 | 97 | 97 | 86 | 133 | 168 | 135 | 120 | 113 | |
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 | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:04AM1.42m | 11:04PM1.41m | 11:47AM1.40m | 11:37PM1.27m | 12:37PM1.37m | 00:13AM1.15m | 1:39PM1.36m | 1:05AM1.04m | 2:53PM1.38m | 2:27AM0.98m | 4:06PM1.44m | 4:06AM0.98m | 5:05PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:01PM0.50m | 5:22AM0.40m | 5:48PM0.62m | 5:55AM0.45m | 6:48PM0.73m | 6:34AM0.50m | 8:12PM0.80m | 7:27AM0.55m | 9:52PM0.79m | 8:38AM0.57m | 11:07PM0.72m | 9:53AM0.56m | 11:58PM0.62m | ||||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | |
— | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | |
mm | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | E 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | SE 15 | ESE 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 |
55 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 8 | 131 | 99 | 68 | 296 | 221 | 327 | 103 | 124 | 97 | 97 | 86 | 133 | 168 | 135 | 120 | 113 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | SE 17 | ENE 9 | E 9 | SE 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | ENE 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 |
23 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 11 | 35 | 6 | 56 | 29 | — | 90 | 22 | 23 | 14 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 18 | E 10 | E 13 | S 13 | — | — | S 16 | S 10 | S 9 | NE 9 | — | — | S 13 | S 12 | E 13 | SE 7 | E 10 | S 9 | SE 7 | S 19 | SE 16 |
12 | 17 | 3 | 13 | — | — | 5 | 33 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 9 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | — | S 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 |
352 | 416 | 427 | 502 | 497 | 512 | 568 | 478 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 176 | 1 | 20 | 176 | 1 | 1 | 204 | 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.











