The Spit Surf Break

Lat Long: 27.94° S 153.43° E

The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 pm 08 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Spit sea temperature is
20.3° C
0.5° 

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 8 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, E swell with 194 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period with E 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 Sunday (Aug 09) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore 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 09) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 10AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Sun 9th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s
Best Surf 1AM (Sun 9th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s
Most Powerful 1AM (Sun 9th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s be real with you. Looking at the whole 16-day window for The Spit, it’s a bit of a rough stretch. We've got a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind messing things up, and the swell never really lines up with what this spot wants. It’s going to be a grind, and there’s no classic day jumping out. The first few days are looking pretty weak and average, and then it just gets bigger, but uglier.

Right now, the water temp is sitting at 69°F, which is about normal for this time of year. Not a drama there.

The first real chance to get wet is early Sunday morning, the 9th. The wind is glassy out of the NNW, and we have a small 3ft east swell rolling in with a 9-second period. The combined energy is only at 167, so it’s weak, but it’s clean. This is a beginner-friendly wave anyway, so the small, clean conditions are your best bet. It's not going to be epic, but it's surfable. The afternoon gets chopped up by a NNE breeze, so get on it early.

Monday the 10th morning sees a stronger NW wind, creating a cross-offshore. The swell stays tiny at 3ft. The energy kicks up to 238, but it's still pretty weak. The afternoon is interesting for a bit with a W wind going offshore and clean, but the swell is short-period and from the NNE, which is all over the place. Not great.

From Tuesday the 11th through Thursday the 13th, we’re looking at a slow grind of tiny, clean surf. Swell heights hover around 2ft to 2ft, with weak energy readings in the 40-90 range. It’s pretty gutless. The mornings are the cleanest with light offshore or cross-offshore breezes, but you’ll be paddling for dribbles. Thursday afternoon gets chopped by an onshore breeze, so that’s done.

Then we hit a real lull. From Friday the 14th through Sunday the 16th, the swell just drops off a cliff. We're talking 1ft to 2ft of slop, with moderate to fresh onshore and cross-shore winds. The energy is pathetic, below 105. This is a period to find something else to do. The river mouth won't be breaking with any sort of quality.

Now, the second week gets interesting, but not in a good way. Starting Monday the 17th, a pulse of windswell shows up, but it’s coming from the ESE with a short 6-second period. It’s bigger, hitting 5ft to 5ft, and the energy jumps to 199-214. But it's all onshore slop. The wind is howling from the SE, making it a complete mess. This looks more like a day for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers.

It gets worse. From Tuesday the 18th through Sunday the 23rd, the swell gets bigger, driven by that persistent SE wind. We’re looking at 5ft to 8ft of lumpy, cross-onshore chaos. The combined energy is huge—we're talking 413 to a massive 1902. The period is still short, between 7 and 11 seconds, so it’s just a wall of wind chop. There's one standout moment on Friday the 21st, where the text says the wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is just too big for The Spit. That’s a huge callout. At 8ft, this place is maxed out and would be only for experts, and even then, it’s probably closing out. The rest of that period is just punishing.

So, to be honest, there’s no “go-to” day in this forecast. The only time it's clean enough is Sunday morning, the 9th, with that tiny glassy wave. It's weak, but it's the only shot. The rest is either too small to bother, or too big and messy to be any fun. It’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, fresh winds from the NNW by Mon morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Wed night, light winds from the SE by Fri morning).

Sat
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
2
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
E
8
1.1
E
9
1
E
9
0.9
E
9
0.9
E
9
0.9
E
9
0.8
E
9
0.7
E
9
0.7
E
9
0.6
E
9
0.6
E
9
0.6
E
9
0.6
E
9
0.5
E
9
0.5
E
9
0.4
SE
10
0.5
SE
10
0.6
SE
11
0.6
SE
11
0.4
SE
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
111
194
153
119
119
119
96
76
74
55
59
60
60
42
42
28
51
71
71
31
Wind (km/h)
15
ESE
5
SSW
5
NNW
20
NNE
20
NNW
30
NNW
25
W
15
WNW
15
W
10
WNW
10
W
15
NW
15
NW
30
WSW
10
SW
20
ESE
15
SSW
5
SSE
15
ESE
15
S
Wind State
on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross
High Tide
4:34PM1.48m
4:50AM0.96m
5:43PM1.60m
6:06AM1.02m
6:41PM1.70m
7:04AM1.10m
7:30PM1.76m
7:53AM1.17m
8:15PM1.78m
8:37AM1.24m
8:57PM1.74m
9:20AM1.28m
9:37PM1.65m
Low Tide
11:28PM0.46m
10:38AM0.31m
00:31AM0.35m
11:44AM0.25m
1:21AM0.26m
12:42PM0.18m
2:06AM0.18m
1:34PM0.13m
2:47AM0.14m
2:23PM0.12m
3:25AM0.12m
3:09PM0.14m
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:22
6:22
6:20
6:20
6:18
6:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:20
5:20
5:21
5:21
5:22
5:22
5:22
 mm
1
Temp °C
18
17
19
19
18
21
17
13
21
22
18
22
24
15
17
17
14
18
18
16
Feels °C
16
17
17
16
15
17
12
9
18
19
15
18
20
8
13
12
10
15
15
14
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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