The Spit Surf Break

Lat Long: 27.94° S 153.43° E

The Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 pm 14 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Spit sea temperature is
21.2°C
0.1° 

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 14 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 2,149 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 16 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period with NE 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 Wednesday (Sep 16) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The Spit in the next 16 days are 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 4AM (Wed 16th Sep)2.5ft (0.7m) 6s
Best Surf 4AM (Thu 17th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 10s
Most Powerful 4AM (Thu 17th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 10s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—if you’re looking for a classic session at The Spit over the next couple of weeks, you’re going to have to be patient. We’ve got a long stretch of ordinary, onshore slop ahead before a real window of opportunity opens up. The forecast starts off with a whimper on Tuesday the 15th, with nothing but knee-high leftovers and a messy cross-shore breeze. That’s a long, flat, frustrating start, and honestly, you might as well save your energy.

The whole first week is a write-off. The wind stays cross or cross-onshore, the swell stays small, and there’s absolutely no push. The combined energy is weak—down in the 30s and 40s on Tuesday—so don’t even bother paddling out. Wednesday the 16th sees the swell bump up a bit, particularly in the afternoon when we get a pulse of 6ft, but that’s accompanied by a strong, lumpy cross-shore breeze that’ll chop it all up. The energy jumps to 402, but it’s messy, and the poor conditions just keep rolling on.

Thursday the 17th is where things get interesting, but only for the brave. The morning brings a big 10ft swell with a 10-second period, and that’s just too much juice for The Spit. The river mouth will be a washing machine, and it’s only for experts. The energy is a massive 1760—strong and powerful—but unless you’ve got a death wish, this isn’t for the faint-hearted. It’s just too big and blown out with that fresh cross-shore. The afternoon does ease off to 5ft, but it’s still poor.

After that, we slide back into a long, frustrating flat spell. From Friday the 18th right through to the 21st, the swell’s tiny, the wind’s all over the shop, and you’ll be staring at ankle-biters with weak energy readings in the teens and twenties. Saturday the 19th has a brief, clean moment in the morning with a cross-off breeze and a bit of shape, but it’s only 2ft—hardly worth the drive.

The second week kicks off with more of the same, a bit of a bump around the 22nd to the 24th with 5ft to 5ft of messy, short-period windswell, but the wind is onshore the whole time. It’s lumpy, choppy, and totally unsurfable. The energy is moderate, sitting in the 150-240 range, but it’s all in the wrong places.

The first real standout comes late in the game, on Thursday the 25th of September. That’s when we finally see a pulse of 5ft from the ENE with a bit more energy behind it (508 to be precise) and the wind swinging light onshore in the morning. The file calls it marginal, but the potential is there. It’s a promise, not a certainty, given it’s over a week out.

But the true hero of this whole outlook is the final few days. Sunday the 28th is looking the pick of the bunch. The morning brings 5ft of east swell with a clean, cross-off breeze out of the northwest. It’s not huge, but the energy is solid (279), and the break should have some real shape to it. The river-mouth setup (The Spit) handles this kind of longer-period swell well, though it’s not quite a groundswell. That’s your window.

Tuesday the 30th might throw us a curveball with some rain showers and a southerly breeze, but it’s a while away. The main message? Don’t get excited until the 28th. Before that, it’s a waiting game, and the surf just isn’t there. Sure, there’ll be a few so-so days, but nothing that’ll get the heart racing. Keep an eye on that 28th—that’s the one worth circling on the calendar.

Stay keen,
Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Mon night, strong winds from the SSE by Wed night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
Sunday
20
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
0
0
0
0
!
0
!
0
0
1
1
0
0
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)
0.6
E
6
0.5
E
6
0.5
E
6
0.8
ENE
6
1
SSE
6
1.8
SE
8
1.9
SE
10
3
SSE
10
1.6
SE
10
2.1
SSE
9
0.9
ESE
7
0.9
ESE
8
0.7
SE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
7
0.4
SE
7
0.3
ESE
7
0.6
NNE
4
0.6
NNE
4
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
24
17
17
43
60
398
709
1368
456
749
86
103
60
39
21
14
10
9
16
Wind (km/h)
5
NNW
15
N
25
NNE
20
NW
30
S
35
SSE
35
S
30
SSE
30
SSE
15
S
10
SE
10
ENE
10
WNW
15
NNW
20
NNE
10
WNW
5
ENE
15
NNE
15
NW
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
on
cross
cross-off
High Tide
10:16PM1.23m
10:52AM1.36m
10:50PM1.09m
11:34AM1.31m
11:26PM0.97m
12:22PM1.26m
00:11AM0.86m
1:19PM1.21m
1:14AM0.78m
2:28PM1.20m
2:47AM0.75m
3:40PM1.23m
Low Tide
4:22AM0.19m
5:05PM0.38m
4:54AM0.25m
5:57PM0.48m
5:30AM0.32m
7:03PM0.55m
6:13AM0.39m
8:30PM0.57m
7:11AM0.45m
9:59PM0.53m
8:26AM0.49m
10:56PM0.45m
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:45
5:43
5:43
5:41
5:39
5:39
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:37
5:38
5:38
5:39
5:39
5:40
 mm
Temp °C
18
20
20
18
19
18
17
17
18
16
19
18
17
21
21
18
21
21
18
Feels °C
18
16
16
16
14
10
9
11
12
12
16
16
16
17
18
17
20
20
17
  • 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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