Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 8s period, SE swell with 573 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 1.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m 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 2.2m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey, Rusty here, checkin’ the next stretch at The Spit. It’s a river-mouth wave, open to easterly swell, and a good learner’s wave. Water’s right around average for the season.
For the first ten days, it’s pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf through the end of August. Swell is tiny, mostly under 5 ft, from the ESE, and the wind is blasting cross-onshore, 25-30 mph, turning it into a lumpy, choppy mess. Energy’s only moderate, running around 250-325. No standouts.
But hang on for Thursday morning, August 27th. That’s a little gem. Wind goes offshore from the west at 15 mph, glassy and clean. We get a 5 ft swell from the SE with a 7-second period, and the combined energy hits 348 (moderate wave energy). The report says ‘expect good surf conditions’ – it’s the only real highlight. It’s a short-period wave, so it’ll be a bit dumpy, but it’s clean and rideable.
After that, it’s back to small stuff and messy cross-shore winds rolling into the first week of September. The second week is flat and forgettable. For a break that’s usually consistent, this run is a quiet one, but that Thursday morning window is your play.
Rusty, out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 21°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 7 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 227 | 223 | 259 | 228 | 276 | 322 | 521 | 167 | 196 | 120 | 232 | 196 | 159 | 130 | 108 | 109 | 91 | 99 | 94 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 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 | 4:32PM1.25m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 9:09AM0.42m | 11:31PM0.50m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | |  | | | |
 | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — |
mm | 4 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 13 | E 9 | — | E 15 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 11 | ENE 7 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 23 | 25 | 4 | 27 | — | 4 | 192 | 167 | 196 | 62 | 232 | 196 | 159 | 130 | 108 | 109 | 91 | 99 | 94 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 18 | — | S 18 | — | — | — | SE 10 | SE 11 | S 8 | ESE 10 | NE 9 | — | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | ENE 9 | SE 7 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 12 | — | 6 | — | — | — | 58 | 121 | 6 | 120 | 3 | — | 67 | 22 | 22 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | E 14 | — | — | — | — | ESE 12 | — | — | ESE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 10 | SE 7 | — | S 9 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 50 | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | — | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | — | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 227 | 223 | 259 | 228 | 276 | 322 | 521 | — | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 14 | 24 | 28 | 7 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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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