
Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 11s period, SE swell with 6,320 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period with SE 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 (Jul 12) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 4s is also forecast. 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 5.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 16ft (5.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
Alright, this is Rusty, lookin' at the next stretch for Rainbow Bay. It’s a sheltered point, so it needs a bit of a specific angle to come alive, and for the first few days, it’s just gonna be flat. Real flat. You’re lookin’ at a dry spell from now through at least the 15th of July. The water’s sittin' about average for the time of year at 70°, so nothin' wild there.
The whole story changes on Thursday the 16th. That’s when the ocean wakes up. We’ve got a solid pulse of south swell pushin' in, 12ft on the morning and growin' to 15ft by the afternoon. The wind is howlin' offshore from the south at 25 mph, so the faces will be clean as a whistle, but this is serious power. Combined wave energy is massive at 2207 and 3558, and with size over 8ft, this is expert territory only. The period is 9 to 10 seconds, so it’s a bit of a windswell under a groundswell, but it’ll be raw and charging.
Friday the 17th keeps the momentum, with 10ft to 12ft of south-southeast swell, and that same strong offshore wind. It’s a bit of a messy, powerful setup though, and the scores reflect that it’s not perfect. The real standout, the one you’d circle on the calendar, is Saturday the 18th. That afternoon, we’ve got an 18ft swell from the southeast, with a period stretchin’ to 12 seconds. That’s proper groundswell with a lot of energy (7628 combined energy). The wind is offshore from the south-southeast at 22 mph, so it’s glassy and clean. For a break like Rainbow Bay, that’s a big, powerful, clean day. It’s too big for anyone but experts, but it’ll be a show.
Sunday the 19th is still solid, with 12ft droppin’ to 8ft, and the wind is a bit lighter at 16-18 mph offshore. Still really good, but the peak is definitely Saturday afternoon. Early the next week, Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, the swell backs down to 7ft to 6ft with clean offshore winds. That’s more manageable for strong intermediates, and the quality is still up there. The energy is moderate at 998 to 637, but the shape should be good.
After that, it fades. By Wednesday the 22nd, we’re down to 4ft, and by Thursday the 23rd it’s under 3ft. The rest of the run into the 27th is small and ordinary, with a brief bump of 7ft on the 26th, but that’s got a short period of 8 seconds and cross-off winds, so it’s not the one.
So, if you’re an expert, Saturday the 18th afternoon is the absolute top shelf. That’s the big one. For the rest of us, the Monday and Tuesday after that are your best bet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
175 | 98 | 55 | 38 | 33 | 38 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 1301 | 2217 | 2928 | 1331 | 1118 | 1103 | 3132 | 6320 | 6069 | 2644 | 885 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 6:37PM1.88m | 6:55AM1.21m | 7:29PM1.97m | 7:49AM1.24m | 8:17PM2.01m | 8:40AM1.27m | 9:03PM2.00m | 9:27AM1.29m | 9:47PM1.94m | 10:12AM1.30m | 10:28PM1.83m | 10:57AM1.31m | 11:07PM1.70m | 11:42AM1.32m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:18AM0.29m | 12:40PM0.17m | 2:10AM0.22m | 1:31PM0.16m | 2:59AM0.20m | 2:20PM0.18m | 3:43AM0.20m | 3:07PM0.23m | 4:25AM0.24m | 3:53PM0.31m | 5:04AM0.30m | 4:38PM0.41m | 5:41AM0.36m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | |
5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | 5:07 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 19 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 4 | S 7 | E 9 | — | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | S 17 | — | S 22 | ENE 10 | E 12 | E 10 |
175 | 98 | 55 | 38 | 33 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 7 | — | 3 | 12 | 23 | 15 | 6 | — | 9 | 19 | 666 | 840 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | N 10 | — | — | — | — | NE 8 | — | — | — | S 21 | S 20 | S 19 |
38 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | — | — | 35 | 8 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 11 | N 4 | — | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 7 | S 8 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 24 |
2 | 1 | — | 20 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 4 | WSW 3 | S 8 | — | — | SSW 8 | — | — | S 4 | S 6 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
6 | 1 | 47 | — | — | 38 | — | — | 13 | 214 | 1301 | 2217 | 2928 | 1331 | 1118 | 1103 | 3132 | 6320 | 6069 | 2644 | 885 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 1 | 1 | 352 | 326 | 279 | 41 | 0 | 814 | 776 | 739 | 41 | 776 | 203 | 667 | 667 | 324 | 41 |
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)
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.











