
Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 17 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SE swell with 2,499 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 10s 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 3s 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) 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 1.1m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Rainbow Bay over the next couple of weeks.
Right now we’re in a bit of a flat spell. The first surf worth paddling out for is Saturday afternoon, 11 July, with a clean 4ft swell from the ESE at 12 seconds—that’s a nice long groundswell, proper energy behind it (617). Wind’s glassy, coming in light from the NNE at just 3 mph, so the surface will be buttery. This is a sheltered point break, so it handles that ESE direction well. Water temp’s sitting at 70°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year—no surprises there. The morning of Sunday 12 July is a write-off—cross-on wind and choppy, so skip it. Same story Sunday afternoon and Monday.
Things start to get interesting from Wednesday afternoon, 15 July. We’ve got a strong offshore wind from the south at 19 mph, pushing 6ft of short-period SSE swell (6 seconds). That’s a windswell, and the combined energy is moderate (252). It’ll be clean, but the short period means waves will be a bit crumbly—better for experienced guys on a point break like Rainbow Bay.
Now, Thursday 16 July through to Tuesday 21 July is the standout run. Thursday morning brings a solid 12ft SSE swell with a 9-second period—combined energy’s cranked up to a very strong 2296. Offshore winds from the SSE at 19 mph will keep it clean, but bro, 12ft at a sheltered point is serious. That’s expert territory only, and the SSE direction is a little off the optimum SE for Rainbow Bay, so expect some bigger sets but maybe not perfect shape. Friday holds similar—12ft, SE swell, cross-off winds—still heavy, still only for those who know what they’re doing.
The real gem looks like Monday morning, 20 July. Glassy conditions, no wind, with a 10ft ESE groundswell pulsing in at 11 seconds and combined energy of 2054. That’s excellent, powerful, and clean—proper stand-out session for experienced surfers. Tuesday morning, 21 July, keeps the quality up: 10ft ESE swell, even longer period at 13 seconds, light offshore from the south at 6 mph, combined energy 2514. That’s a very long-period groundswell—waves will have heaps of energy and nice shape, but at a point break like Rainbow Bay, it’ll give some sweet, lined-up walls. Both Monday and Tuesday mornings are absolute highlights.
Wednesday 22 July eases a bit—7ft, still long-period (12 seconds), light offshore—still good for experienced crew. Thursday 23 July drops to 5ft, clean offshore wind, fun for intermediate surfers. From there it fades into smaller, cleaner but ordinary surf through the end of the month—nothing to get excited about.
So, the best on offer is Monday 20 July and Tuesday 21 July mornings—big, long-period groundswell, glassy or light offshore winds, and powerful clean waves at a point break that’ll handle it. It’s expert-level stuff, so if you’re not in that league, sit this one out. Crowds are often a thing at Rainbow Bay, so factor that in.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Tue afternoon, fresh winds from the SSE by Thu morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sat 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 8 | S 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | SSE 6 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
429 | 396 | 253 | 175 | 98 | 55 | 53 | 33 | 24 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 248 | 923 | 2292 | 1757 | 1227 | 2467 | 2258 | 2053 | 1791 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off |
High Tide | 5:41PM1.76m | 5:54AM1.19m | 6:37PM1.88m | 6:55AM1.21m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:20AM0.38m | 11:46AM0.21m | 1:18AM0.29m | 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 | ||||||||
— | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | |
5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | 5:07 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
Feels °C | 16 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 8 | S 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | N 10 | — | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 21 |
429 | 396 | 253 | 175 | 98 | 55 | 53 | 33 | 24 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 2 | — | 4 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 9 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SE 8 | NNW 4 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 7 | NE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 21 |
188 | 57 | 40 | 38 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 11 | NNW 4 | — | SSE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | 6 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 2 | NW 4 | NNW 4 | — | SSW 3 | NE 4 | NNW 3 | SW 3 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | S 4 | SSE 6 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 |
— | 1 | 11 | 9 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 248 | 923 | 2292 | 1757 | 1227 | 2467 | 2258 | 2053 | 1791 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 265 | 1 | 187 | 324 | 340 | 213 | 324 | 2 | 142 | 142 | 142 | 142 | 438 | 1 | 2 |
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.











