Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, E swell with 198 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Spit this week:
The surf forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Spit in the next 16 days are 1.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, it’s a pretty bleak run ahead. We’re looking at a solid stretch of poor conditions with hardly any windows of decent surf. The first real chance you’ve got is Tuesday morning, August 25th at The Spit. It’s a river mouth setup, exposed to swell from the east-northeast. The swell is tiny, around 3 ft, with a short period of 8 seconds, so it’ll be weak and a bit bumpy. The combined wave energy is moderate at best (112). But the wind goes glassy—totally clean, no bumps. For a beginner-friendly spot, that’s about as good as it gets right now. The water is sitting at 69°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.
After that Tuesday morning window, it gets ugly again. The wind swings unfavourable, and the swell stays tiny and weak with that short period. There’s a stretch from the afternoon of August 25th all the way through the end of August where conditions are just poor – choppy, cross-onshore, lumpy. Not worth paddling out.
We get a tiny glimmer on Wednesday morning, September 3rd. The swell is still small, around 3 ft, period 8 seconds, so the energy is weak (94), but the wind turns cross-offshore, giving it a clean face. It’s surfable, but only just. Not a standout by any stretch.
Then, the next small window pops on Friday morning, September 4th. Same story: 3 ft, 9-second period, from the east-northeast. Energy is weak (109), but with a light offshore breeze, it’ll be clean again. Nothing special, just a chance to get wet.
Looking further out, we’ve got Tuesday morning, September 8th. The swell drops even further to 2 ft, period 7 seconds, so the energy is very weak (69). But the wind is glassy again. For a river mouth, it’ll be tiny and clean, but you’ll be scratching for waves.
There is no true standout session in this whole 16-day window. It’s a very long stretch of disappointing surf for the area. The best you can do is grab that glassy window on the morning of August 25th, but don’t expect much.
That’s the long and short of it. Forecasts can always change, but for now, keep your expectations low.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 6 | E 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 75 | 85 | 87 | 107 | 110 | 113 | 99 | 99 | 76 | 96 | 116 | 136 | 77 | 58 | 66 | 66 | 51 | 51 | 59 | 73 | 189 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:07PM1.41m | 6:29AM0.94m | 6:43PM1.48m | 7:06AM1.03m | 7:17PM1.54m | 7:40AM1.11m | 7:50PM1.57m | 8:13AM1.20m | 8:23PM1.58m | 8:46AM1.27m | 8:56PM1.56m | 9:20AM1.33m | 9:31PM1.51m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:10AM0.36m | 00:48AM0.33m | 11:57AM0.31m | 1:19AM0.26m | 12:39PM0.26m | 1:48AM0.20m | 1:18PM0.21m | 2:16AM0.15m | 1:55PM0.18m | 2:45AM0.13m | 2:33PM0.17m | 3:15AM0.13m | 3:13PM0.19m | 3:45AM0.14m | |||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | | |  | |  |  | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 10 |
| kJ | 75 | 85 | 87 | 107 | 110 | 113 | 99 | 99 | 76 | 96 | 116 | 127 | 77 | 58 | 66 | 66 | 51 | 51 | 59 | 44 | 14 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SSE 6 | SE 5 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | S 10 | E 14 | E 13 | NE 8 | NE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 6 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | E 15 | SE 10 | NE 13 |
| kJ | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 57 | 59 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 28 | 4 | 25 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 5 | SE 5 | E 16 | E 15 | S 9 | — | S 8 | S 16 | — | SE 10 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 6 | NE 10 | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 | — | 1 | 5 | — | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | — | — | — | SSE 5 | SE 4 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | E 6 | E 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | 9 | 26 | 136 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 17 | 38 | 73 | 189 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 22 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 549 | 43 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 14 | 17 | 28 | 14 | 28 | 28 | 14 | 28 | 28 | 22 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Spit Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Spit provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Spit can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Spit 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 (The Spit) 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 The Spit 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.
The Spit is 4 km (2 miles) from the city of Southport. If you plan a holiday in Gold Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Southport. Southport has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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