Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 14 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, S swell with 687 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period with ENE 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 Saturday (Aug 08) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s. 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 1.9m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. The long-range charts are showing something for Rainbow Bay, but you’re gonna need a bit of patience. The start of this stretch is pretty bleak. From Saturday the 8th through to Wednesday the 12th, it’s mostly small, weak, and messy. The energy is all over the place, and there’s nothing that’s gonna get the heart rate up. Early Sunday the 9th has a tiny bit of push but the wind is straight onshore, so forget it. Monday the 10th sees a bump in size but it’s short-period, cross-onshore junk. It’s not worth paddling out for.
We finally see a window opening up on the morning of Thursday the 14th. The wind swings offshore and the swell is starting to organise. It’s 4ft from the SSE, with a period of 9 seconds, and the energy is building. That’s the first real sign of life. Friday morning the 15th keeps that offshore wind but the energy backs off a touch. Still rideable, but Thursday looks the cleaner of the two.
Then it all goes quiet again for a few days. Saturday the 16th has some surface bump, and Sunday the 17th is the one that stands out. The swell jumps to 7ft, pushing 8ft in the afternoon, from the SE with a short but punchy 7-8 second period. The wind is offshore and it’s clean. The energy reading is strong, and for a sheltered point like this, that’s got some weight to it. This is the standout of the whole run. Monday the 18th keeps the size and the offshore flow, but the period drops and the energy is still solid. It’s a bit more uncertain but still good.
From the 19th through the 22nd, it’s bigger but messier. The swell is pushing over 8ft, even hitting 8ft on the Wednesday morning, with a lot of energy. But the wind goes cross-offshore and it’s not as clean. It’s more for the experienced crew, and it’s not as enticing. The 21st has a moment on the morning with light winds and 6ft, but the 22nd is blown out by cross-on shore winds.
That’s your picture. The real call is Sunday the 17th of August – that’s your best bet for a proper session at Rainbow Bay. Bigger, clean, and with real punch.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | N 6 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 9 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 55 | 64 | 173 | 230 | 185 | 146 | 150 | 158 | 116 | 116 | 96 | 78 | 108 | 83 | 85 | 61 | 61 | 199 | 378 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:16AM1.09m | 4:22PM1.62m | 4:38AM1.09m | 5:27PM1.74m | 5:48AM1.14m | 6:24PM1.85m | 6:46AM1.21m | 7:14PM1.92m | 7:36AM1.29m | 8:00PM1.95m | 8:22AM1.36m | 8:43PM1.91m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:23AM0.31m | 11:08PM0.43m | 10:32AM0.27m | 00:12AM0.33m | 11:35AM0.22m | 1:05AM0.24m | 12:31PM0.17m | 1:51AM0.18m | 1:22PM0.14m | 2:34AM0.16m | 2:09PM0.15m | 3:12AM0.18m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 23 | 22 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | NNE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 9 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 54 | 64 | 173 | 230 | 185 | 146 | 150 | 146 | 116 | 96 | 96 | 78 | 108 | 83 | 85 | 61 | 61 | 199 | 378 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | NE 9 | S 9 | NE 8 | NE 10 | E 13 | E 8 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | S 9 | S 8 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 55 | 52 | 45 | 28 | 38 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 116 | 47 | 34 | 34 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 43 | 44 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | E 9 | NNE 9 | NE 9 | SSE 9 | E 14 | S 8 | S 7 | S 8 | S 10 | SW 4 | — | NE 10 | NE 11 | NE 10 | S 10 | S 10 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 |
| kJ | 28 | 39 | 7 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 3 | S 3 | — | — | NE 8 | NNE 5 | N 6 | NNE 6 | SW 3 | WNW 3 | NE 2 | — | N 6 | N 5 | WNW 4 | SSW 5 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 54 | 62 | 158 | 160 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 34 | 45 | 6 | 29 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 176 | 40 | 79 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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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