Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, SSE swell with 349 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period with ESE 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. 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 1.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) 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 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Look, I've been staring at the charts for The Spit, and I gotta be straight with you—it's a tough stretch. There's nothing in the 16-day window that's worth paddling out for. No standouts, no hidden gems, just a whole lot of nothing.
The Spit is a river mouth setup, and it's exposed to the east, which is where the swell is trying to come from. But the energy is just pathetic. The best we see is a weak pulse around the 8th of September, but even that's a mess. Early on the 30th of August, there's a weak 3ft swell from the SE, but it's a choppy, cross-on shore mess with 16 mph winds. The water's sitting at 69°F, which is about average for this time of year, but that doesn't matter when the waves are junk.
We go through a whole week of nothing. Tiny, weak swell, blown out by onshore winds, or just plain flat. The combined energy values are stuck in the low double digits and triple digits, barely registering (129, 101, 65). It's a proper lull. The wind is either cross-on, onshore, or just making a mess of what little bump there is.
Then we get to the morning of Tuesday the 8th of September. The wind finally swings offshore from the west, and the swell bumps up a bit to 4ft from the NNE. It's clean, but it's a weak, short-period swell (7 seconds) and the energy is only moderate (145). The afternoon sees a bigger 6ft swell from the NNE, but it's a short-period wind swell, bumpy, and the report says it's "marginal." For a beginner spot like The Spit, 6ft is going to be a handful, and with that short period, it'll be a bumpy, gutless mess. Not worth it.
After that, it's back to the same old story. The 11th of September has a 4ft swell from the south with a decent 10-second period, but the wind is a choppy cross-on from the SE, and the energy is strong (414) but unusable. The 12th sees a similar story—cleaner cross-shore wind but a weak, messy swell.
Honestly, for The Spit, this is one of those periods where the surf just doesn't show up. It's a blank run. With the wind and swell directions all wrong, and the energy so low, it's a solid two weeks of nothing. The forecasts can change, but right now, there's not a single thing to get excited about. Keep the board in the car for a drive, or just wait for the next system.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Sun afternoon, light winds from the ESE by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 5 | SSE 10 | E 9 | SE 5 | ESE 6 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
76 | 71 | 349 | 23 | 53 | 20 | 51 | 92 | 45 | 68 | 47 | 42 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 66 | 15 | 15 | 47 | 51 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:31PM1.51m | 9:58AM1.38m | 10:07PM1.42m | 10:39AM1.40m | 10:47PM1.30m | 11:27AM1.41m | 11:32PM1.17m | 12:24PM1.40m | 00:28AM1.03m | 1:33PM1.39m | 1:43AM0.92m | 2:57PM1.41m | 3:25AM0.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:13PM0.19m | 3:45AM0.14m | 3:56PM0.23m | 4:19AM0.17m | 4:44PM0.31m | 4:56AM0.22m | 5:42PM0.40m | 5:40AM0.28m | 6:54PM0.49m | 6:36AM0.34m | 8:29PM0.53m | 7:48AM0.39m | 10:10PM0.48m | ||||||||
6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 25 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ENE 9 | SE 6 | E 9 | E 8 | ESE 6 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NNE 6 | NE 6 | NNE 6 | E 9 | NNE 6 | E 9 | NNE 6 |
21 | 26 | 37 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 51 | 92 | 45 | 68 | 47 | 42 | 27 | 27 | 20 | 16 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 51 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | E 15 | E 9 | SSE 9 | SE 17 | E 8 | ESE 6 | SE 11 | NE 4 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | SE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 10 | NE 6 | E 9 | E 11 | E 10 |
24 | 4 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 28 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 9 | 18 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | — | SE 10 | SE 19 | E 12 | E 11 | SE 11 | SE 16 | SSE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | SE 10 | SE 11 | NE 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | NE 10 | NNE 5 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 |
8 | — | 15 | 14 | 3 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | SE 5 | SSE 10 | ESE 6 | SE 5 | — | — | E 5 | NW 2 | NW 2 | NNE 4 | N 4 | NW 2 | NNE 5 | — | — | ENE 9 | — | — | NNE 6 | — |
76 | 71 | 349 | 20 | 53 | — | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 31 | 1 | 20 | — | — | 66 | — | — | 47 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 28 | 4 | 28 | 28 | 7 | 28 | 149 | 1 | 4 | 156 | 13 | 43 | 164 | 0 | 43 | 80 | 28 | 66 | 248 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











