Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 11s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 11s period, SE swell with 1,316 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 11s period with SE 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 2.4m and 11s. 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 2.4m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s cookin’ at Rainbow Bay.
We’ve got a fairly quiet run ahead, with a couple of definite standout windows. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary there. The main action comes in two bursts, with a long flat spell in between.
The first real push kicks off on Thursday morning, July 9th. We’re looking at a solid 8 ft SSE swell with an 11-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy, dialled in for the point. The combined energy is a massive 2514, so there’s real power behind it. Winds are offshore from the SSW at 12 mph, keeping it clean. This is top-tier stuff for experienced surfers; it’s a standout, no question.
That swell holds size through Friday, sitting around 6 ft to 7 ft from the SE, still with clean offshore breezes. Saturday morning, July 11th, drops back to 5 ft, but the wind goes completely glassy – dead calm. That’ll be a joy for anyone on a log or a fish, a real treat.
Then we hit a dry patch. From Saturday afternoon right through until around Wednesday, July 15th, it’s pretty much flat or dribbly – combined energy drops into the low hundreds and even below 100. Most of it is just tiny, weak leftovers, no good for a proper paddle.
Now, look ahead to Thursday morning, July 16th. A new pulse arrives – 10 ft from the SSE with a combined energy of 1441, building to 12 ft in the afternoon (energy 2156) under strong offshore SSW winds. This is big, powerful swell – expert territory. The following days stay solid: Friday and Saturday, July 17th and 18th, hold at 8 ft to 10 ft, though those fresh breezes (19 mph) add a bit of chop. By Saturday afternoon the wind eases, and the swell is still a very clean 7 ft from the SE (energy 1369). That’s another real highlight.
After that, the energy drops quickly through Sunday and Monday, with smaller, less favourable winds. By Tuesday, July 21st, it’s back to tiny leftovers again.
So, the two true standouts are the Thursday 9th July morning session and the Thursday 16th July afternoon session. Both have size, direction locked into the optimum SE for the point, and clean offshore wind. Crowds are *often* here, so expect company, especially on those days.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wed 15 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1665 | 1287 | 967 | 862 | 725 | 816 | 652 | 384 | 341 | 396 | 253 | 178 | 96 | 55 | 64 | 76 | 71 | 40 | 31 | 28 | 13 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:21AM1.31m | 3:36PM1.51m | 3:33AM1.23m | 4:41PM1.63m | 4:46AM1.19m | 5:41PM1.76m | 5:54AM1.19m | 6:37PM1.88m | 6:55AM1.21m | 7:29PM1.97m | 7:49AM1.24m | 8:17PM2.01m | 8:40AM1.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:50AM0.33m | 9:58PM0.57m | 9:49AM0.29m | 11:14PM0.48m | 10:49AM0.25m | 00:20AM0.38m | 11:46AM0.21m | 1:18AM0.29m | 12:40PM0.17m | 2:10AM0.22m | 1:31PM0.16m | 2:59AM0.20m | 2:20PM0.18m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — |
 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 |
mm | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 11 | S 23 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 9 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 614 | 1227 | 11 | 862 | 725 | 816 | 652 | 384 | 221 | 396 | 253 | 178 | 96 | 55 | 64 | 76 | 71 | 40 | 31 | 28 | 8 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SE 14 | — | SE 15 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | N 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 18 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 200 | — | 9 | 195 | 341 | 59 | 40 | 24 | 22 | 2 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 13 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | S 21 | — | S 20 | S 20 | S 18 | — | — | E 11 | N 4 | — | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | N 10 | E 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | 8 | 8 | 6 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 22 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | NW 4 | SW 4 | S 8 | — | — | — | S 3 | — | S 3 | S 4 |
| kJ | 1665 | 1287 | 967 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 31 | — | — | — | 4 | — | 4 | 35 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 12 | 211 |
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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