Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, ESE swell with 622 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s 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 13) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m 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 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10AM. 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 15) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for The Spit.
Right from the start, it’s a tough outlook. We’re looking at a real lull for the next week and a half or so. There’s nothing on the cards until the final days of the forecast, so we’re in for a long, quiet stretch.
The first day that even hints at a surf is Monday, August 24th. And it’s the one standout of the whole 16-day window. Monday morning, we’ve got a clean 4ft swell coming from the east with a period of 10 seconds—that’s a nice, long-period groundswell with proper energy behind it (combined swell energy is 339). The wind is a gentle offshore breeze from the west, making it clean. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It won’t be huge, but the quality should be right.
The rest of the run? Pretty average. Tuesday the 25th morning offers a surfable 3ft east swell with clean conditions thanks to a light cross-offshore breeze (combined energy 175), but it’s nothing special. Wednesday the 26th morning is glassy but small, with 2ft east swell (combined energy 75). After that, the wind swings onshore and it gets choppy again through the end of the month.
Bottom line: it’s a barren period until that Monday morning. That’s your best shot.
We’re talking about The Spit here, a river mouth setup, consistent and exposed to the east which matches the optimum swell direction. It’s a beginner spot, so it’s not for charging big waves, but for a gutless run like this, it’ll be functional. Crowds are often around, so expect company for that Monday session.
Water temp is about average for the time of year; nothing wild going on there.
Stay patient.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 15°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 10 | SSE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | E 7 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 42 | 42 | 277 | 277 | 138 | 238 | 28 | 31 | 58 | 76 | 60 | 136 | 279 | 302 | 587 | 622 | 324 | 233 | 169 | 186 | 224 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 8:57PM1.74m | 9:20AM1.28m | 9:37PM1.65m | 10:01AM1.30m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:23PM0.12m | 3:25AM0.12m | 3:09PM0.14m | 4:01AM0.14m | 3:54PM0.20m | 4:37AM0.17m | 4:40PM0.29m | 5:11AM0.21m | 5:28PM0.39m | 5:47AM0.27m | 6:21PM0.49m | 6:24AM0.32m | 7:28PM0.58m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | SE 5 | SSE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 6 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 |
| kJ | 42 | 42 | 11 | 55 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 27 | 268 | 316 | 233 | 233 | 155 | 117 | 89 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SSE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 7 | ENE 9 | SE 10 | NE 8 | SE 10 | E 15 | ESE 9 | E 10 | SE 18 | E 13 | E 9 | — | — | ESE 12 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 4 | 5 | 28 | 28 | 2 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 40 | — | — | 15 | 22 | 47 | 82 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 7 | SSE 9 | NE 9 | — | S 19 | S 16 | S 15 | — | — | E 18 | E 15 | E 14 | E 13 | — | — | — | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 32 | 3 | — | 7 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | 29 | 23 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 2 | SE 3 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 5 | SE 4 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | E 7 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 277 | 277 | 138 | 238 | 17 | 31 | 58 | 76 | 60 | 136 | 279 | 302 | 587 | 622 | 324 | 213 | 169 | 186 | 224 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 28 | 0 | 14 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 620 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 288 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 28 | 20 | 28 | 28 | 17 |
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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