Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 2,074 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) 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 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 20) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me tell you how it is. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for The Spit. Mate, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead. For the next 16 days, the surf just isn’t playing ball for a proper paddle session.
Right from the get-go, Sunday the 13th through to the end of the month, the waves are on the small side and the wind is just all wrong. It’s a long, flat, bumpy run. You’ve got a bit of swell bumping through on Wednesday the 16th afternoon, with a 5.9ft SE swell, but a strong 25 mph cross-onshore wind is going to trash it, making it messy and lumpy. The combined energy jumps to 335, but it’s a write-off for quality.
Thursday the 17th sees a bit more size, with a 5.2ft SE swell running on a 10-second period, pushing the combined energy to 467. That’s moderate energy, but again, a fresh 19 mph cross-shore wind is going to chop it up. That trend just keeps going – small to moderate swells, but always with that cross or cross-onshore wind. Even when the swell drops right down to 1.6ft, the wind is howling.
There’s one little glimmer on Saturday the 26th morning. The wind swings around to a light NNW, giving us a clean, cross-offshore breeze. The swell is only 2.6ft from the NE with a 7-second period, and the combined energy is a weak 98, so it’s not going to be a world-beater, but it’ll be the cleanest wave of the whole run. The water temp is a normal 70° for this time of year, so that’s fine.
Honestly, with these constant onshore winds and small, weak energy levels, The Spit is looking way more interesting for a kite session than for a surf. You’d be fighting a losing battle trying to get a clean ride on a paddle board. For a river break that’s usually exposed, this is just a bad run of luck. Keep the board in the shed, mate.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Mon night, fresh winds from the SSE by Wed morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSE on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | ||||||||||||||
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 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | SE 7 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 46 | 32 | 32 | 24 | 25 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 29 | 331 | 833 | 335 | 450 | 235 | 203 | 211 | 134 | 137 | 108 | 90 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:43PM1.36m | 10:12AM1.40m | 10:16PM1.23m | 10:52AM1.36m | 10:50PM1.09m | 11:34AM1.31m | 11:26PM0.97m | 12:22PM1.26m | 00:11AM0.86m | 1:19PM1.21m | 1:14AM0.78m | 2:28PM1.20m | 2:47AM0.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:51AM0.14m | 4:20PM0.29m | 4:22AM0.19m | 5:05PM0.38m | 4:54AM0.25m | 5:57PM0.48m | 5:30AM0.32m | 7:03PM0.55m | 6:13AM0.39m | 8:30PM0.57m | 7:11AM0.45m | 9:59PM0.53m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — |
 | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | E 13 | NE 13 | SE 10 | E 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 11 | 32 | 32 | 24 | 25 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 7 | 335 | 4 | 235 | 203 | 1 | 134 | 137 | 108 | 90 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | E 14 | — | — | ENE 8 | E 13 | E 16 | NE 15 | E 15 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 6 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 7 | E 15 | — | — | — | — | NE 16 | — | E 12 | NE 15 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 12 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | NW 3 | SSE 4 | SE 7 | SE 10 | SSW 3 | SE 10 | SSW 3 | — | SE 10 | — | NW 2 | NE 3 | N 4 |
| kJ | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 15 | 331 | 833 | 3 | 450 | 3 | — | 211 | — | 1 | 5 | 7 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 17 | 28 | 176 | 18 | 33 | 149 | 105 | 176 | 1391 | 867 | 28 | 348 | 22 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 288 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gold Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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