Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, ENE swell with 250 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period with ENE 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 (Aug 23) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 12s. 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 1.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) 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 0.9m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s take a look at what’s on offer.
Honestly, the next couple of weeks aren't shaping up to be anything special. There’s surf in the water, but it’s mostly small, short-period stuff and conditions are pretty ordinary for the most part. We’ve got a run of days where it’s just not worth paddling out.
The first real chance of something half-decent comes around Thursday the 27th. Rainbow Bay’s seeing a pulse of 4ft swell from the east, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is offshore, moderate, but clean. The combined energy is moderate (280). It’s surfable, but it’s hardly going to blow your mind. Still, if you’re itching for a paddle, that’s the best window in the first week.
Friday morning the 28th looks promising too. The swell drops to 3ft from the ENE, but the wind goes glassy. That’s a major positive. Clean, small waves, perfect for a longboard or a funboard. The energy is still moderate (167). It’s not going to be pumping, but it’ll be a nice morning session.
After that, things get a bit messy again. There’s a bit more size on Monday the 31st with 5ft swell from the SSE, but the period is only 7 seconds and the wind is offshore. The energy is moderate to strong (359), but that short period means it’s going to be a bit crumbly. Not great.
Looking further out, there’s a small window on Wednesday the 2nd of September with glassy conditions and 3ft swell from the ENE. Again, small and clean, but nothing to write home about. The energy is moderate (210).
The standout, if you can call it that, is Thursday the 27th. It’s the only day with a bit of size and clean offshore wind. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best of a pretty average bunch.
For the rest of the period, it’s mostly small, onshore, or just plain poor. There’s a lot of days where the wind is onshore or cross-shore, and the swell is tiny. It’s a tough run.
Alright, that’s the story for Rainbow Bay. Not much to get excited about, but there are a few windows for a paddle if you’re keen. Keep an eye on the Thursday and Friday.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | SSE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 72 | 93 | 94 | 99 | 107 | 125 | 119 | 116 | 142 | 164 | 121 | 98 | 95 | 205 | 161 | 109 | 77 | 80 | 199 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | on | on | cross | cross-on | off | off | off | off | glassy | cross | off |
High Tide | 4:06AM0.98m | 5:05PM1.53m | 5:19AM1.04m | 5:52PM1.62m | 6:12AM1.13m | 6:33PM1.69m | 6:54AM1.21m | 7:10PM1.74m | 7:31AM1.29m | 7:45PM1.76m | 8:06AM1.36m | 8:18PM1.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:07PM0.72m | 9:53AM0.56m | 11:58PM0.62m | 10:57AM0.52m | 00:38AM0.52m | 11:49AM0.47m | 1:12AM0.43m | 12:34PM0.41m | 1:44AM0.36m | 1:15PM0.36m | 2:14AM0.30m | 1:53PM0.32m | 2:43AM0.27m | ||||||
 |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 72 | 93 | 94 | 99 | 107 | 125 | 119 | 116 | 142 | 164 | 121 | 98 | 95 | 205 | 161 | 81 | 59 | 80 | 86 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | NE 10 | SSE 4 | S 6 | S 6 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 10 | SSE 12 |
| kJ | 5 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 20 | 71 | 47 | 43 | 17 | 16 | 48 | 51 | 74 | 81 | 109 | 77 | 70 | 199 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | SE 8 | S 9 | SE 12 | S 9 | S 8 | SE 6 | SE 5 | SE 5 | S 16 | NE 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 11 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 7 |
| kJ | 7 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 46 | 31 | 28 | 14 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | SSW 3 | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 37 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 204 | 17 | 1 | 157 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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