Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 9s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with 1,835 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Tuesday (Sep 08) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) 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 0.3m 2s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.
First up, we’re looking at a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. There’s definitely some juice in the water, but you’ll have to time it right. The wind is going to be the main character here, more than the swell itself.
We kick things off with a bit of a dud for the first couple of days. Tuesday, September 8th, has surfable waves, but it’s nothing to write home about. That’s the pattern for a bit.
Then things get interesting. Wednesday September 10th morning is where it’s at. Rainbow Bay is looking *solid*. We’ve got a 12ft SSE swell pumping in with a period of 9 seconds and a fresh offshore wind from the south. That’s a serious amount of water moving, with combined swell energy hitting 2081 (strong). This is proper, powerful surf. The wind is clean, so expect some grinding lines off the point. This is for experienced surfers only, that size is no joke.
Thursday September 11th is still holding, with 10ft SSE swell and offshore winds again in the morning. The energy is still strong (1308). It'll be a touch smaller than the day before but still a good, punchy wave.
After that, things start to taper off and get messier. Friday September 12th and into the weekend see the swell dropping and the wind shifting cross-offshore. It’s not terrible, but it’s not the standout. By Sunday September 14th, the swell has petered out to under 3ft, and the energy is weak (144). That’s about it for the first week.
Into the second week, it’s a quiet story. From Monday September 15th through to the end of the run, it’s mostly flat or very small waves. You’ll see a few tiny pulses, like on Thursday September 18th with a 3ft SSE swell and a long 11-second period, and a 3ft SSE pulse on Friday September 19th, but the energy is low. There's a late spike of 7ft on Sunday September 21st, but the wind is howling onshore – that one’s a write-off for paddling.
The real standout is undeniably Wednesday September 10th morning at Rainbow Bay. The size, the clean offshore wind, the strong energy – that’s the session to circle in the calendar. Thursday September 11th morning is a solid backup if you miss it.
Alright, that’s the picture. It’s a short, sharp burst of quality, so be ready to jump on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Thu morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 304 | 504 | 534 | 388 | 288 | 295 | 1746 | 1676 | 1342 | 1216 | 926 | 664 | 483 | 315 | 234 | 275 | 137 | 99 | 78 | 64 | 51 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | glassy | cross-on | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 6:05PM1.80m | 6:31AM1.32m | 6:53PM1.84m | 7:16AM1.42m | 7:36PM1.83m | 7:57AM1.50m | 8:16PM1.77m | 8:36AM1.55m | 8:52PM1.67m | 9:13AM1.57m | 9:26PM1.55m | 9:50AM1.56m | 9:57PM1.41m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:26AM0.26m | 00:41AM0.22m | 12:20PM0.20m | 1:21AM0.18m | 1:09PM0.16m | 1:59AM0.17m | 1:54PM0.17m | 2:33AM0.19m | 2:37PM0.22m | 3:04AM0.23m | 3:18PM0.30m | 3:34AM0.29m | 3:58PM0.41m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — |
 | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — |
mm | 2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NE 8 | E 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | ESE 12 | E 15 | S 24 | SSE 23 | S 11 | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 7 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 9 | E 6 | E 6 | SSE 9 | ENE 6 |
| kJ | 24 | 9 | 15 | 388 | 288 | 56 | 4 | 11 | 51 | 655 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 89 | 234 | 275 | 137 | 58 | 41 | 64 | 45 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | NNE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 15 | NE 15 | E 14 | E 13 | S 21 | NE 15 | S 19 | E 13 | E 7 | SE 20 | SSE 19 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | NE 8 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 16 | 16 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 69 | 101 | 35 | 99 | 78 | 11 | 51 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 6 | — | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | — | — | — | N 16 | N 16 | — | NE 16 | E 13 | SSE 18 | E 13 | S 18 | SSE 16 | NE 8 | SSE 13 | NE 8 |
| kJ | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | 10 | 3 | 33 | 3 | 26 | 26 | 3 | 17 | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | — | — | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | — | — | ESE 6 | — | — | E 6 | — |
| kJ | 304 | 504 | 534 | — | — | 295 | 1746 | 1676 | 1342 | 1216 | 926 | 664 | 483 | 315 | — | — | 115 | — | — | 43 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 0 | 324 | 324 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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.
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