
Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, S swell with 306 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 (Jul 23) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m 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 1.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) 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 0.2m 2s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the coming swell window for The Spit. It’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, so let’s get straight into it.
We’ve got a few small windows of opportunity, but honestly, the first real standout doesn’t pop up until Saturday the 1st of August. Up until then, we’re looking at a lot of small, messy, or wind-affected conditions. The Spit is a river mouth setup, exposed to easterly swells, and it’s a consistent break, but that doesn’t mean it’s always good. Thursday the 23rd of July morning is your best early bet: clean conditions with glassy water and a light 3 mph westerly breeze. Swell is 4 ft out of the east, period of 8 seconds, and the combined wave energy is moderate (299). It’s not huge, but it’s clean and rideable for beginners.
Everything else in the first week is pretty ordinary. Friday the 24th turns ugly with strong cross-shore and cross-onshore winds up to 22 mph, making for lumpy, poor surf. Saturday the 25th morning shows a bit more size at 5 ft out of the SSE, but the wind is cross-shore and the combined energy is strong (503). Still, the conditions are marginal. Sunday the 26th through to Thursday the 31st of July are all very small, weak, and mostly blown out or glassy but tiny. Swell heights hover around 1 ft to 2 ft, periods are short, and combined energy is under 100. Not worth paddling out for.
Now, Saturday the 1st of August is the one to circle. The morning brings a solid 7 ft swell out of the SSE, period of 10 seconds. However, the combined energy is very strong (1354), and the forecast says the swell is too big for this break. This is expert-only territory at best, and the wind is moderate cross-shore. It’s powerful, but tricky and potentially overwhelming for most. There’s a similar event on Thursday the 6th of August morning, with a 7 ft swell and a period of 9 seconds, combined energy at 714. Again, too big for The Spit. Friday the 7th of August morning has 7 ft swell, but the wind is fresh cross-onshore, so conditions are poor.
In between, we have some small, clean windows. Wednesday the 5th of August morning is worth a mention: glassy conditions with a light SW wind, swell at 2 ft out of the ESE, period of 10 seconds, but the combined energy is weak (107). It’s surfable but very ordinary.
Overall, the best on offer is likely Thursday morning the 23rd of July for clean, beginner-friendly waves, and then the big swell events on the 1st and 6th of August for experts who can handle the size and cross-shore wind. Crowds are often present at The Spit, so expect company on any decent day. Water temperature is about average for the time of year.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 6 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | E 13 | SSE 9 | ESE 11 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
173 | 133 | 105 | 80 | 105 | 117 | 105 | 76 | 43 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 16 | 13 | 129 | 12 | 17 | 35 | 36 | 37 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 4:10PM1.25m | 3:37AM0.90m | 5:09PM1.32m | 4:53AM0.88m | 5:56PM1.40m | 5:56AM0.90m | 6:37PM1.48m | 6:45AM0.94m | 7:14PM1.55m | 7:27AM1.00m | 7:48PM1.60m | 8:06AM1.05m | 8:22PM1.64m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:45PM0.61m | 9:53AM0.37m | 11:48PM0.55m | 10:45AM0.35m | 00:36AM0.48m | 11:33AM0.32m | 1:16AM0.40m | 12:18PM0.29m | 1:51AM0.33m | 12:59PM0.26m | 2:24AM0.27m | 1:38PM0.23m | 2:56AM0.22m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | |
— | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | E 5 | SSE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 |
173 | 133 | 105 | 80 | 58 | 117 | 105 | 76 | 41 | 29 | 17 | 29 | 28 | 16 | 10 | 23 | 7 | 17 | 35 | 36 | 37 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | S 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 11 | ENE 8 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | E 7 | E 7 | E 12 | E 13 | SSE 9 | ESE 11 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | E 12 |
87 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 43 | 29 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SE 9 | SE 6 | E 12 | ESE 10 | ENE 8 | SE 16 | SE 14 | ESE 8 | E 9 | SE 15 | ESE 13 | E 12 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 12 | E 7 | E 11 | E 11 | E 12 | SE 7 |
13 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 28 | 40 | 51 | 24 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSE 5 | SE 6 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SE 3 | ESE 4 | SSE 9 | E 4 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 12 | 105 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 11 | 129 | 10 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 68 | 28 | 12 | 17 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 176 |
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.










