Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, SE swell with 774 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s 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 Friday (Aug 14) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s is also forecast. 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 2.5m 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 0.6m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Rainbow Bay over the next couple of weeks. I’ll tell you straight – this isn’t a classic run, but there are a few windows where things line up nicely.
The overall pattern starts off average, dips into some bigger, bumpy stuff mid-period, then fades to small and clean. First up, the best bet of the whole outlook lands on Friday morning, 14th of August. That morning is where it’s at. We’ve got a clean 6 ft S swell rolling in, with a gentle offshore wind from the south blowing at 9 mph. That’s the good stuff – clean faces and not too much crowd hassle, though it can get busy here sometimes. The water is sitting at 69°F, which is just about normal for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there. Combined wave energy is moderate at 744, and with a period of 8 seconds, it’s a decent short-period swell that’ll wrap nicely into this sheltered point.
Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th hold surfable waves, but they’re ordinary. Saturday morning has 4 ft SSE swell with a moderate offshore breeze, same vibe Saturday afternoon with rain showers and 4 ft. Sunday bumps up to 6 ft SSE, but the period drops to 7 seconds – a bit mushy and less organised. Still clean enough, but nothing special.
Then from Monday the 17th through Tuesday the 18th, the swell pushes up over 7 ft from the SE and ESE. That’s getting solid – combined energy hits 594 to 689, moderate energy – but the wind is cross-offshore and pretty fresh at 12 to 19 mph. The surf gets chunky and a bit messy. For experienced surfers only at that size, especially with short 8-second periods and a cross-off wind that can make things tricky. Beginners should sit this one out.
After that, from Wednesday the 19th through the end of the week, the swell drops back to around 4 ft to 4 ft. Winds stay light and often offshore in the mornings, which keeps the surface clean. But the energy is low – combined energy falls to around 276 to 342 – and the conditions are just ordinary, not great. On Friday the 21st, there’s a glassy morning with 4 ft ENE swell, but it’s a cross-offshore wind and not really doing much.
The last week from the 22nd of August onward sees the swell shrink to under 3 ft, mostly from the ENE or S. Combined energy drops below 200, even down to 43 by the 27th. Winds are light, with a few glassy moments on the 23rd and the 25th mornings, but the waves are tiny and weak. The 28th of August offers a bit of hope – Friday afternoon shows a clean 4 ft SSE swell with a cross-off breeze and moderate energy of 356. Worth a look if you’re desperate for a paddle, but it’s not a standout.
So, one true standout: Friday morning, 14th of August. That’s the session to pencil in. The rest is average to poor, with a big lull from about the 22nd to the 27th where there’s really nothing worth chasing. Don’t hold your breath for the second week. If you’re flexible, that Friday morning is your only real shot at something tasty.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 15°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon night, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
382 | 372 | 259 | 192 | 154 | 280 | 344 | 261 | 479 | 640 | 760 | 544 | 606 | 338 | 402 | 130 | 161 | 115 | 130 | 119 | 87 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 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 | 12:37PM1.37m | 00:13AM1.15m | 1:39PM1.36m | 1:05AM1.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 5:55AM0.45m | 6:48PM0.73m | 6:34AM0.50m | 8:12PM0.80m | ||||||||
6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | |
— | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | SE 18 | S 17 | E 9 | S 10 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
284 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 17 | 12 | 23 | 59 | 46 | 221 | 402 | 111 | 114 | 97 | 130 | 101 | 84 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | NE 9 | SE 19 | SE 16 | N 11 | SE 19 | SE 18 | SSE 18 | SSE 18 | SE 15 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 11 | SE 13 | SE 12 | ESE 7 | SSE 10 | SE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
43 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 31 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 7 | 35 | 41 | 161 | 115 | 110 | 119 | 87 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | N 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | S 20 | — | E 15 | E 15 | E 8 | S 12 | — | E 13 | S 14 | — | S 12 | ESE 10 | S 11 | S 8 | ESE 8 | — | — |
3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | — | 4 | 4 | 6 | 28 | — | 3 | 15 | — | 11 | 69 | 9 | 48 | 46 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | — | S 4 | — | — |
382 | 372 | 259 | 192 | 154 | 280 | 344 | 261 | 479 | 640 | 760 | 544 | 606 | 338 | 254 | 130 | 57 | — | 9 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 238 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.











