The Spit Surf Break

Lat Long: 27.94° S 153.43° E

The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 am 23 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Spit sea temperature is
20.2°C
0.6° 

The Spit surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Spit surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, SSE swell with 351 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 1AM (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 Tuesday (Aug 25) at 1AM. 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 1.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Tue 25th Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 8s
Best Surf 1AM (Wed 26th Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 8s
Most Powerful 7AM (Sun 30th Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got to be straight with you – the outlook for The Spit over the next 16 days is a bit of a tough one. The swell is hanging around, but it’s small, and the conditions are rarely coming together for a proper session. There’s no standout, no real gem to chase, just a few windows where things might be passable if you’re desperate for a paddle.

For the first week, starting Sunday the 23rd of August, we’ve got a weak east-northeast swell, around 3ft to 4ft, with a short period of 7 to 8 seconds. The combined energy bounces around – it’s weak on Sunday (84) and Monday (224 is moderate but still not great). The wind is mostly cross-onshore or cross, so the surface is choppy or lumpy. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday morning the 25th of August where the wind goes glassy, and the swell is 3ft from the east-northeast. The water temperature is 68° – that’s about normal for this time of year, with a slight anomaly of -1°. It’s surfable, but it’s ordinary. The Spit is a river break, consistent, and exposed to the east, but with these tiny waves and imperfect wind, it’s not firing. The optimum swell direction is east, so we’re nearly there, but the size just isn’t there.

Through the rest of the week, Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th see some clean-ish mornings with light cross-offshore winds from the northwest, but the swell is still small – 3ft to 4ft – and the energy is weak to moderate (72 to 241). The waves are there, but they’re ordinary. The wind shifts on Friday the 28th to a clean cross-off again, but it’s only 3ft from the east. You might get a few fun ones, but don’t expect much.

The second week, from the 30th of August onwards, the swell drops off even more. Sunday the 30th has a glassy morning with a 2ft swell from the southeast, period 10 seconds – that’s a bit more energy (149) but the size is tiny. By Monday the 31st, the period jumps to 17 seconds, which is a very long groundswell, but it’s only 1ft from the southeast. That long period will make it break straight at the river mouth, not ideal, and the conditions are still poor. The wind is cross-onshore or onshore, so it’s messy.

From the 1st of September through to the 7th, it’s a constant run of small, weak swell – 1ft to 2ft – with periods between 9 and 10 seconds. The energy is all below 170, mostly in the weak range. The wind is often cross-offshore in the mornings, which keeps it clean, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. The water stays around average for the season.

If you’re a beginner, the swell never gets over 5ft, so it’s always safe, but the quality is poor. For everyone else, it’s a long wait with no real standouts. The best chance is probably Tuesday morning the 25th of August when it’s glassy, or the clean mornings on the 28th and 2nd of September, but even then, it’s just ordinary surf. The Spit is consistent, so it tends not to stay poor for long, but this run is a dry spell. Forecasts can change, but right now, I wouldn’t be rushing.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 17°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, fresh winds from the SSE by Fri night).

Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
ENE
8
0.7
ENE
7
1
E
7
1.1
ENE
7
0.9
ENE
8
0.8
ENE
8
0.8
ENE
8
0.9
ENE
8
1.3
NE
8
0.9
ENE
7
0.9
ENE
8
0.8
E
8
1.2
E
8
1
ENE
8
1
E
8
0.8
E
8
0.7
E
8
0.7
E
8
0.7
E
9
0.6
E
9
0.6
E
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
79
57
96
136
107
87
85
110
191
68
92
76
187
140
127
76
57
63
76
55
54
Wind (km/h)
15
SE
25
SE
10
SE
5
SE
15
E
0
SSE
5
N
15
NNE
15
NNW
15
WNW
15
N
20
S
20
SSE
20
SE
5
S
15
NW
15
N
25
S
25
SSE
25
SE
10
WSW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
glassy
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
5:25PM1.33m
5:45AM0.86m
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
Low Tide
10:15AM0.40m
00:13AM0.42m
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
clear
clear
mod rain
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:09
6:09
6:07
6:07
6:05
6:05
6:03
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:28
5:28
5:28
5:29
5:29
5:30
5:30
 mm
9
3
5
1
1
Temp °C
18
19
18
19
19
18
21
21
19
23
23
18
19
18
18
22
22
18
20
19
17
Feels °C
15
15
18
18
18
18
20
20
19
22
22
14
16
15
18
19
19
14
15
14
16
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
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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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