Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, SE swell with 617 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period with S 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 (Aug 13) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. 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 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 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 1.5m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mate, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Rainbow Bay.
Right off the bat, the water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. This is a sheltered point break, so it needs a good southerly or southeasterly swell to get going, and the optimum direction is from the southeast. The first week is a bit of a mixed bag, but we do have a few windows that look promising.
The standout for the whole period is shaping up to be Friday the 14th in the morning. We've got a solid 6ft S swell pumping in with a moderate offshore breeze. The combined energy is solid at 741 (moderate), and the conditions are looking clean. That's your best bet for this forecast window. Saturday the 15th is a bit of a letdown after that, with a morning that's only surfable but ordinary, and the afternoon gets washed out by rain showers.
The following week, from Monday the 17th through to the next Monday, is a bit of a grind. There's a lot of rain and cross-offshore winds, with the swell size bouncing around. The 6ft S swell on Sunday the 16th morning with offshore winds and moderate energy (352) is another decent option, but not as clean as Friday. On Monday the 24th morning, we see a 5ft E swell roll in with glassy, cross-offshore winds and a solid energy reading of 505 (moderate). That's another one to pencil in, but it's a long way out, so keep an eye on it.
Overall, it's a patchy outlook. The first week gives you a clear winner on Friday the 14th, and then you'll have to be patient for Monday the 24th. The crowds are said to be often here, so be prepared for company, especially on the good days.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 36mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | S 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | S 7 | ENE 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 83 | 87 | 163 | 270 | 418 | 374 | 201 | 131 | 29 | 167 | 303 | 244 | 182 | 601 | 549 | 490 | 268 | 496 | 232 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 8:22AM1.36m | 8:43PM1.91m | 9:04AM1.40m | 9:22PM1.83m | 9:44AM1.43m | 9:59PM1.70m | 10:24AM1.43m | 10:33PM1.56m | 11:04AM1.42m | 11:04PM1.41m | 11:47AM1.40m | 11:37PM1.27m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:34AM0.16m | 2:09PM0.15m | 3:12AM0.18m | 2:53PM0.19m | 3:48AM0.22m | 3:36PM0.27m | 4:21AM0.28m | 4:18PM0.38m | 4:52AM0.34m | 5:01PM0.50m | 5:22AM0.40m | 5:48PM0.62m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 8 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 12 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | S 10 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SE 17 | SE 16 | E 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | E 7 |
| kJ | 83 | 87 | 43 | 43 | 277 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 12 | 11 | 57 | 268 | 496 | 203 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | E 9 | NNE 7 | NE 10 | E 9 | NE 9 | SE 19 | SE 16 | NE 11 | SE 19 | SE 18 | SE 17 | SE 17 | S 17 | S 17 | S 15 | E 8 | — | SE 8 |
| kJ | 67 | 61 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 217 | — | 232 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | NNE 6 | NE 10 | S 20 | NE 9 | N 9 | NE 9 | S 20 | S 15 | — | E 15 | SE 9 | E 8 | S 15 | E 13 | E 13 | — | — | ESE 12 |
| kJ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 14 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 3 | S 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | S 7 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | E 7 | — |
| kJ | 4 | 60 | 163 | 270 | 418 | 374 | 201 | 131 | 85 | 167 | 303 | 244 | 182 | 601 | 549 | 490 | — | 215 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 213 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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.
Nearest