
Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, SE swell with 488 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 15s. 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 1.6m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) 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 0.6m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, coming to you from the beach. Let’s talk about what’s coming up at Rainbow Bay over the next couple of weeks.
First up, we’ve got a solid little pulse of swell rolling in right now. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The wind is light and the waves are clean—it’s a proper setup for the point.
Sunday morning kicks things off with a 5 ft southeasterly swell, period around 9 seconds, and a light offshore breeze from the SSE. The combined energy is moderate (544), and the conditions are clean. This is the standout of the whole outlook. The swell direction is right on the money for Rainbow Bay, the wind is off, and the waves have got some shape. It’s not a monster, but it’s a quality, fun-sized wave for a point break. The crowd situation is often busy here, so expect company. That’s the best session of the whole stretch.
Sunday afternoon drops a little to 5 ft, with a cross-off wind, still clean. It’s a good follow-up session.
Monday morning looks like a real treat. The swell holds at 5 ft, still from the SE, period bumps up to 10 seconds, and the wind goes glassy. That’s a dream scenario for the point—clean, long lines, and easy paddling between sets. The combined energy is still moderate (497). This is the second best slot on offer. Monday afternoon sees a cross-on wind, so it’s a bit of a drop-off, but still surfable.
After that, the surf drops off significantly. Tuesday (4th) is tiny, with onshore winds and poor conditions. Wednesday (5th) and Thursday (6th) see knee-high dribble, energy in the weak range (121-203), and nothing to get excited about.
Friday (7th) and Saturday (8th) are similar—small, weak, and ordinary. The entire period from Tuesday morning through to Saturday afternoon is a flat spell. There’s no real surf to speak of.
Sunday (9th) sees a small bump in size to 3 ft, but the wind is onshore and strong, especially by the afternoon with 15 mph from the north. That’s a washout.
From Monday (10th) onward, it’s all small, weak, and messy. The energy levels drop into the 80-200 range, the swell is mostly from the east, and the winds are cross or onshore. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday (11th) afternoon with a clean cross-off and a 1.0 rating, but it’s still only 3 ft.
The last real chance for anything decent is Monday (17th) morning. The swell is only 3 ft, but the wind is offshore from the south at 12 mph, and the combined energy has climbed back to 160. It’s a clean, small wave for the point, but nothing like the first two days.
So, to wrap it up: the best of the whole 16-day window is Sunday (2nd) morning and Monday (3rd) morning. After that, it’s a long stretch of flat or poor conditions until the very end of the outlook. Get on it early, because the ocean is going to take a long nap.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | ESE 11 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
415 | 327 | 392 | 420 | 404 | 257 | 103 | 62 | 128 | 190 | 130 | 58 | 49 | 46 | 59 | 90 | 55 | 87 | 52 | 60 | 34 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 10:22AM1.33m | 10:29PM1.64m | 11:03AM1.35m | 11:08PM1.54m | 11:50AM1.37m | 11:52PM1.41m | 12:47PM1.40m | 00:46AM1.28m | 1:54PM1.44m | 1:54AM1.16m | 3:09PM1.51m | 3:16AM1.09m | 4:22PM1.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:07PM0.41m | 4:58AM0.31m | 4:52PM0.44m | 5:35AM0.31m | 5:47PM0.49m | 6:18AM0.31m | 6:54PM0.54m | 7:10AM0.32m | 8:18PM0.56m | 8:12AM0.33m | 9:49PM0.52m | 9:23AM0.31m | 11:08PM0.43m | ||||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | ESE 11 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | S 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | S 10 | ENE 7 | S 9 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 |
415 | 327 | 392 | 420 | 404 | 257 | 103 | 62 | 128 | 190 | 130 | 58 | 45 | 34 | 35 | 90 | 48 | 87 | 52 | 57 | 34 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 13 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 7 | S 6 | ENE 7 | S 8 | S 9 | ENE 6 | S 9 | ENE 7 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 6 |
119 | 209 | 253 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 30 | 27 | 45 | 59 | 24 | 55 | 54 | 39 | 60 | 26 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 12 | S 21 | NE 10 | ENE 6 | ESE 10 | SSE 9 | E 18 | NE 9 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 10 | ESE 8 | SSE 10 | NE 7 | E 8 |
10 | 26 | 19 | 60 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 31 | 49 | 46 | 31 | 32 | 40 | 20 | 38 | 12 | 29 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 6 | N 3 | SSW 4 | — | — | E 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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.











