
Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, ESE swell with 2,550 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 9s period with SSE 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 2.5m and 10s. 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for The Spit, right from July 18th out through the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this is a tough run. The first few days are straight-up messy. We've got a solid pulse of swell pushing through on the 18th, with ESE swell hitting 6 ft in the morning, but a 22 mph cross-shore wind is just tearing it to pieces. The water's sitting at 70°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there. The combined energy is moderate (563), but the conditions are just poor. The afternoon gets even bigger, with the swell jumping to 13 ft from the SSE and the combined energy roaring up to a strong 3756. It's clean, and the wind is better, but that's a lot of water moving around for a river mouth. If you're a seasoned local, it might be a go, but for everyone else, that's a paddling mission and a half.
Things don't really let up over the weekend. Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th see the swell holding around 10 ft to 12 ft, but the wind is a nasty cross-onshore around 22 to 28 mph, making it a total washout. The energy is still strong, up over 3000, but it's just not user-friendly. This is one of those times where the setup might look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
We then hit a long, quiet stretch. From Tuesday the 21st right through to the end of the month, the swell drops off and the wind is mostly on it or cross-shore. You'll see dribbles of 3 ft to 5 ft, but the conditions are just ordinary. The morning of Wednesday the 22nd has a glimmer of hope with some clean offshore wind, but the swell is a weak 4 ft from the E with a short period of 9 seconds and low energy (269). The afternoon goes glassy with a light NNE breeze, but the swell is down to 4 ft. It's surfable, but it's a knee-high dribbler. Thursday the 23rd starts glassy with a tiny 3 ft swell, but it's not enough to get excited about. There's a solid 8-9 day gap here where you're just staring at flat, lumpy water.
Now, looking way out, there's a *very* long-range hope. On the 31st of July, we see a ghost of a long-period swell creeping in—a 0.7 ft wave from the E with a period of 19 seconds. That's an incredibly long period, which is a sign of a distant groundswell, but it's so small it's barely a ripple. The real tease is August 1st. The data shows a jump to 8 ft from the NNE, but it's getting hammered by a 16 mph cross-onshore wind. The energy is moderate (975), but the conditions are rated as poor. It's a promise of something that just doesn't come together. Sunday the 2nd is back to tiny, onshore junk.
So, to be honest, there's no standout session here. The absolute best on offer is probably the glassy, small waves on the afternoon of the 22nd of July, or the morning of the 23rd. It's not going to be a day for the history books, but if you're desperate for a splash and a few ankle-biters on a log, you could make it work. The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off. It's one of those periods where the forecast is just not cooperating.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sat afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSE on Sat night, moderate winds from the SSE by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the S by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 9 | SSE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
535 | 2366 | 2326 | 1676 | 2206 | 1739 | 1493 | 1129 | 1434 | 618 | 436 | 461 | 258 | 173 | 133 | 105 | 84 | 78 | 408 | 308 | 601 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 11:14AM1.20m | 11:25PM1.52m | 12:03PM1.19m | 00:07AM1.37m | 12:55PM1.18m | 00:49AM1.21m | 1:53PM1.18m | 1:34AM1.08m | 3:00PM1.20m | 2:28AM0.97m | 4:10PM1.25m | 3:37AM0.90m | 5:09PM1.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:01PM0.33m | 6:01AM0.26m | 5:53PM0.42m | 6:42AM0.30m | 6:52PM0.52m | 7:25AM0.34m | 8:01PM0.59m | 8:11AM0.36m | 9:24PM0.63m | 9:00AM0.37m | 10:45PM0.61m | 9:53AM0.37m | 11:48PM0.55m | ||||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | |
mm | — | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | SE 10 | E 18 | E 11 | E 11 | — | S 17 | — | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 8 | ESE 6 |
535 | 1390 | 6 | 890 | 1065 | — | 6 | — | 878 | 618 | 436 | 313 | 258 | 173 | 133 | 105 | 84 | 78 | 25 | 7 | 72 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | — | SSE 7 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 45 | 7 | 7 | — | 36 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 21 | SE 16 | SE 13 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | — | SE 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 3 | 3 | — | 23 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | SSE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 10 | — | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 6 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 9 |
28 | 2366 | 2326 | 1676 | 2206 | 1739 | 1493 | 1129 | 1434 | 19 | — | 461 | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | 408 | 308 | 601 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 742 | 754 | 671 | 671 | 460 | 166 | 271 | 166 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 12 |
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.










