Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 7s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 10s period, SSE swell with 1,011 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period with SSE 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 27) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s 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 2.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Rainbow Bay has cookin’ for us over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, we’re starting off with a bit of a flat spell. The first few days are pretty ordinary, with the action really not getting going until later in the first week. On the morning of Thursday the 27th, we see a tiny 2ft swell from the east with clean, moderate offshore wind from the south. It’s tiny though, and the energy is weak (92). That’s not the day.
The action starts to build on Saturday the 29th. The morning brings a 5ft swell from the SSE (10 second period) with a fresh southerly offsh, giving us moderate wave energy (522). It’s a bit marginal, but it’s clean and building. The real standout runs from Sunday the 30th into Monday the 31st. On Sunday morning, we’ve got a 7ft SSE swell, strong offshore winds from the south, and the combined energy is pumping (922). Sunday afternoon gets even bigger, with a 8ft SSE swell and very strong energy (1054). Monday the 31st is where it all comes together nicely: a 6ft swell from the SSE in the morning with gentle offshore wind, and clean waves (483). The afternoon holds 5ft with a cross-offshore breeze (526). The winds are going to be clean, the swell is solid, and Rainbow Bay will be working well. That’s your pick for the entire outlook.
After that, it fades out quickly. Tuesday the 1st of September drops to a tiny 2ft, and the rest of the second week stays small and messy with onshore winds. The water temp is a pleasant 69°, which is normal for this time of year, so no wetsuit dramas.
Stay on it. – Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 20°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the S by Sun morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 149 | 157 | 142 | 132 | 102 | 101 | 66 | 125 | 173 | 144 | 120 | 106 | 463 | 408 | 606 | 875 | 1011 | 672 | 416 | 331 | 133 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | glassy | cross | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 6:33PM1.69m | 6:54AM1.21m | 7:10PM1.74m | 7:31AM1.29m | 7:45PM1.76m | 8:06AM1.36m | 8:18PM1.75m | 8:40AM1.41m | 8:51PM1.71m | 9:14AM1.45m | 9:25PM1.63m | 9:51AM1.48m | 10:01PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:49AM0.47m | 1:12AM0.43m | 12:34PM0.41m | 1:44AM0.36m | 1:15PM0.36m | 2:14AM0.30m | 1:53PM0.32m | 2:43AM0.27m | 2:31PM0.29m | 3:13AM0.24m | 3:10PM0.29m | 3:43AM0.23m | 3:52PM0.31m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 20 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 149 | 157 | 142 | 132 | 102 | 101 | 66 | 84 | 173 | 144 | 120 | 106 | 52 | 54 | 54 | 43 | 43 | 27 | 26 | 149 | 133 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | NE 8 | S 9 | NE 6 | NE 9 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | NE 7 | NE 10 | NE 10 | N 10 | N 12 | NE 13 | SSE 20 | E 9 | E 11 |
| kJ | 47 | 28 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 20 | 37 | 76 | 58 | 67 | 50 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 24 | 83 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 16 | NE 9 | S 9 | NE 13 | NE 12 | S 11 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | SE 11 | — | — | N 16 | E 15 | N 15 | S 20 | E 12 | E 11 | SE 16 |
| kJ | 3 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 35 | 17 | 13 | 60 | — | — | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 22 | 67 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 4 | N 4 | WNW 4 | — | SW 2 | S 5 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | SSE 10 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | E 6 |
| kJ | — | 6 | 22 | 1 | — | 1 | 66 | 125 | — | — | — | — | 463 | 408 | 606 | 875 | 1011 | 672 | 416 | 331 | 41 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 493 | 166 | 1 | 54 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 142 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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