
Surf Forecasts:
Rainbow Bay surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, SSE swell with 3,163 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s 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 (Sep 13) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 19s. 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 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rainbow Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks around Rainbow Bay. It’s a point break and pretty sheltered down here.
We’ve got a bit of a slow start, to be honest. The early days are looking flat and messy. Sunday the 13th has a bit of knee-to-waist high swell from the SE, around 4ft, with a short period of 8 seconds, but the wind is cross-off and the energy is only weak (235). It’s surfable but nothing to get excited about. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th stay tiny, with the wind turning onshore and the energy dropping into the weak to very weak range. It’s a quiet stretch.
Then things get a bit spicy. Wednesday the 16th, the wind swings offshore and cleans right up, but the swell is just a whisper in the morning. By the afternoon though, a big lump of energy rolls in – we’re talking 10ft from the SSE, but with a short period (8 seconds) and very strong combined energy (1274). That’s a lot of water moving fast, and for a sheltered point like Rainbow Bay, that much short-period swell is going to be a handful and more suited to the experts. The offshore wind is a plus, but the conditions are marginal.
Thursday the 17th keeps that size – 10ft from the SSE, period stretching to 10 seconds, and massive energy (1644) – with fresh offshore winds all day. Again, this is big and powerful, not for the faint-hearted. The wave quality is described as marginal due to tide or conditions.
The real standout, the one to circle on the calendar, is Friday morning, 18th September. This is the best on offer. Swell drops a touch to 8ft from the SSE, still a solid size, but the period is up to a nice 10 seconds and the wind is a clean, moderate offshore from the S. The combined energy is absolutely pumping at 2018 – that’s very strong. The forecast calls this excellent for experienced surfers. It’s going to be big, powerful, and clean. For the advanced crew, this is the session.
After that, it fades. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th see the swell drop and the wind go onshore again, making for poor conditions. There’s a blip on Monday 21st afternoon with a 8ft S swell and short 7-second period, but with a cross-off wind and moderate energy (592), it’s messy and marginal. The rest of the week into the end of the month is quiet, with onshore winds and small, weak swell. The 28th shows a 7ft SE pulse, but the wind is onshore and the period is short, so don’t hold your breath.
Water temp is sitting about 70°F, which is bang on average for this time of year. No surprises there.
So, for the board selection: Friday morning’s your window if you’ve got the skill and the big-wave gear. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game. Crowds can be an issue here, especially when it’s good, so that Friday might be busy with the local chargers.
Stay salty.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the S by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Wed afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | N 4 | E 13 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
179 | 190 | 121 | 94 | 78 | 48 | 50 | 34 | 36 | 4 | 1271 | 3163 | 1631 | 1467 | 1260 | 1153 | 719 | 446 | 541 | 460 | 318 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:26PM1.55m | 9:50AM1.56m | 9:57PM1.41m | 10:28AM1.53m | 10:27PM1.28m | 11:08AM1.49m | 10:58PM1.16m | 11:55AM1.44m | 11:36PM1.05m | 12:54PM1.40m | 00:37AM0.97m | 2:09PM1.39m | 2:21AM0.94m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:18PM0.30m | 3:34AM0.29m | 3:58PM0.41m | 4:02AM0.35m | 4:40PM0.52m | 4:29AM0.42m | 5:27PM0.64m | 5:00AM0.48m | 6:27PM0.73m | 5:38AM0.56m | 7:55PM0.78m | 6:34AM0.63m | 9:33PM0.75m | ||||||||
5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | |
— | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 20 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | N 5 | E 13 | NE 13 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | — | SSE 9 | NE 15 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
40 | 190 | 121 | 94 | 78 | 32 | 24 | 17 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 2 | — | 848 | 8 | 446 | 541 | 460 | 318 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 16 | SSE 19 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | E 13 | — | — | NE 13 | E 13 | NE 16 | NE 16 | NE 15 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 |
10 | 35 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 48 | 50 | 34 | 16 | 4 | — | — | 7 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 93 | 57 | 55 | 37 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 8 | E 10 | NE 12 | NE 12 | N 12 | — | — | — | NE 16 | E 12 | S 20 | E 12 | NE 14 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 17 |
6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 29 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | — | — | — | NE 2 | — | N 3 | N 4 | N 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | — | — | — | N 2 |
179 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 12 | 36 | 222 | 1271 | 3163 | 1631 | 1467 | 1260 | 1153 | 719 | — | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 203 | 5 | 16 | 176 | 40 | 203 | 1374 | 7 | 170 | 324 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 265 | 1 |
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.










