
Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, SSE swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, SSE swell with 909 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 10s period with SE 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 09) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Spit in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) 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 0.3m 2s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Gonna give it to you straight.
The Spit is in a real dry spell. For the next 16 days, there’s pretty much nothing that’s gonna get you excited. This is a beginner-friendly river mouth, but it’s just not cooperating.
Starting Wednesday the 9th of September, we’re looking at tiny waves – around 2ft to 2ft from the southeast. The wind is cross-onshore, making everything choppy and ugly. The combined swell energy is weak, in the double digits.
Thursday the 10th sees a bump in size – waves up to 5ft to 6ft from the southeast – but the wind is hammering at 22 mph from the cross-shore direction, making it lumpy and messy. The energy gets stronger (into the hundreds), but it’s just not surfable for paddling. This setup might actually be better for a kite.
The rest of that first week – Friday, Saturday, Sunday – is more of the same story. Waves hover around 3ft to 5ft, but the period is short, under 9 seconds, and the wind is always cross-onshore. Just lumpy chop.
The second week has a huge gap of days with nothing. From Monday the 14th all the way to Wednesday the 23rd, the waves drop off to tiny 1ft to 3ft, with the same story: cross-onshore winds and messy surf. There’s a moment on Monday afternoon the 14th with an onshore wind that’s listed as “unknown” quality, and Wednesday the 23rd has a little bump in energy, but the period is still short.
Then, on Thursday the 24th of September, things actually look clean for a few hours. Early morning, we get a proper offshore wind from the west at just 3 mph. The waves are small at 4ft from the east, with a 9-second period. The combined energy is moderate. This is your best bet, but be warned that crowds are “often” so you won’t have the place to yourself. But by afternoon, that wind swings back to a strong cross-onshore at 25 mph and the window slams shut.
Water temp is about 70°, pretty normal for the season, so no surprises there.
So, bottom line: not much to work with. If you’re dying to get wet, early Thursday the 24th of September is your only real, half-decent chance. Otherwise, I’d save the wax for another time. Forecasts can change, but right now it’s a quiet run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the SSE by Thu morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | E 6 | ESE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
78 | 58 | 62 | 223 | 542 | 388 | 257 | 207 | 82 | 93 | 68 | 53 | 89 | 58 | 32 | 50 | 80 | 43 | 49 | 51 | 39 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 7:12PM1.65m | 7:37AM1.27m | 7:53PM1.64m | 8:17AM1.34m | 8:32PM1.57m | 8:56AM1.39m | 9:08PM1.48m | 9:34AM1.41m | 9:43PM1.36m | 10:12AM1.40m | 10:16PM1.23m | 10:52AM1.36m | 10:50PM1.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:37PM0.18m | 1:39AM0.13m | 1:26PM0.13m | 2:14AM0.09m | 2:11PM0.11m | 2:48AM0.09m | 2:54PM0.14m | 3:20AM0.10m | 3:37PM0.20m | 3:51AM0.14m | 4:20PM0.29m | 4:22AM0.19m | 5:05PM0.38m | ||||||||
5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | |
— | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | |
mm | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 19 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 11 | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 10 | E 6 | ESE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 |
78 | 58 | 62 | 46 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 93 | 68 | 53 | 60 | 4 | 32 | 50 | 55 | 43 | 49 | 51 | 39 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 15 | SE 23 | S 22 | S 21 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | E 13 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | SE 10 | ESE 12 | E 15 | S 23 | E 15 | — | — | E 14 | E 15 | E 14 | E 9 | E 13 | SE 18 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 12 | E 15 | E 12 | E 15 |
2 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 11 | 4 | — | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SE 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | E 6 | ESE 7 | — | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | — | — | E 6 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 223 | 542 | 388 | 257 | 207 | 82 | 79 | 30 | — | 89 | 58 | — | — | 80 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 149 | 17 | 176 | 348 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 17 | 24 | 28 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 44 | 28 | 17 |
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.










