Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, ESE swell with 393 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 8s 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. 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 1.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down the next 16 days in the old units.
It’s a grim stretch, to be honest. Persistent cross-onshore and onshore winds dominate, with only one very slim window of clean conditions. Most of the time the surf is poor, and the wind just kills it. There’s a long dry spell from now until late in the month with hardly anything worth paddling for, so don’t get your hopes up.
The only real standout is The Spit. This is a consistent river break that needs east swell, and on Friday, August 21st in the morning, we finally get a break. Swell is 4ft from the east, and the wind goes glassy – a light air from the northeast. That means smooth, clean surf. The combined wave energy is moderate (169) and the period is 8 seconds, so it’s not a groundswell, but with glassy conditions, it’ll be fun little waves. Being a river break, that short period should work. Just know crowds are likely here.
Before that, from Saturday the 15th through Thursday the 20th, it’s poor all the way. Onshore winds gusting 12-18 mph, with swell from 2ft to 5ft, but all chewed up by lumpy chop. The water is sitting near 68°, about a degree and a half below normal for this time of year, so it feels a bit cool.
After that Friday window, the wind flips back onshore or cross-shore for the rest of the period. The swell goes tiny – often under 3ft – with energy dropping off hard. Then in the second week, from the 24th to the 30th, the swell actually builds again (some 426 to 489 energy) but it’s long-period SE swell arriving with strong, messy cross-winds. That combo turns the break into more of a kitesurfing playground than a paddle spot. The Spit just can’t handle that.
Bottom line: if you can make that one glassy morning on the 21st, go for it. Otherwise, it’s a long wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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 6 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 11 | E 7 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 52 | 91 | 85 | 92 | 150 | 286 | 268 | 292 | 254 | 225 | 393 | 105 | 131 | 122 | 99 | 103 | 208 | 169 | 168 | 147 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:15PM1.52m | 10:43AM1.29m | 10:51PM1.38m | 11:26AM1.27m | 11:27PM1.22m | 12:12PM1.23m | 00:04AM1.08m | 1:04PM1.20m | 00:45AM0.95m | 2:07PM1.18m | 1:41AM0.84m | 3:23PM1.20m | 3:04AM0.79m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:37AM0.17m | 4:40PM0.29m | 5:11AM0.21m | 5:28PM0.39m | 5:47AM0.27m | 6:21PM0.49m | 6:24AM0.32m | 7:28PM0.58m | 7:08AM0.37m | 8:57PM0.61m | 8:04AM0.41m | 10:29PM0.58m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — |
mm | 2 | 1 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | E 9 | SE 7 | E 10 | E 8 | — | E 13 | E 13 | — | ESE 14 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 7 |
| kJ | 28 | 28 | 85 | 29 | 12 | — | 4 | 4 | — | 18 | 103 | 94 | 131 | 82 | 99 | 103 | 208 | 169 | 168 | 147 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | — | E 10 | SE 18 | E 11 | E 14 | S 18 | — | — | S 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 8 | — | SE 8 | E 12 |
| kJ | 4 | — | 30 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 6 | — | — | 6 | 80 | 82 | 101 | 122 | 61 | 72 | 7 | — | 14 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 16 | E 16 | E 18 | E 15 | SE 18 | — | SE 17 | — | — | ESE 14 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 7 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | — | — | — | E 12 |
| kJ | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 13 | — | 11 | — | — | 18 | 49 | 105 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 13 | — | — | — | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | SE 6 | S 3 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 52 | 91 | 3 | 92 | 150 | 286 | 268 | 292 | 254 | 225 | 393 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 28 | 14 | 22 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 12 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Spit surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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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