Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, ENE swell with 240 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period with ENE 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 (Aug 22) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Spit in the next 16 days are 1.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) 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 0.4m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 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 the next couple of weeks have in store for us at The Spit. The break is a river mouth setup, exposed to the east. Water temps are sitting around 68°F at the start, which is pretty much what you'd expect for late August.
Straight up, the outlook is patchy and mostly about waiting for the right window. We’ve got a run of very ordinary to poor conditions stretching across the first few days. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are a write-off with weak, short-period swell from the ENE around 2ft to 3ft and messy wind. The combined energy is low, in the 50-80 range. Not worth paddling out for.
Things don’t really improve until early in the week. There’s a glimmer on Tuesday the 25th morning. We get a glassy, clean surface with light offshore wind and a bump in swell to 4ft from the ENE. The period is still short at 8 seconds, but the energy jumps to a moderate 260 (moderate wave energy). That’s our best bet in the whole fortnight. It’s a beginner-friendly size and the conditions will be clean. The Spit can draw a crowd, so expect company.
Beyond that, the rest of the forecast is a bit of a mixed bag with more poor surf conditions than good. There are a few mornings where the glass comes back—like Friday the 28th morning and Saturday the 29th morning—with small 3ft ENE swell and clean faces, but the energy is weak (around 130). It’s surfable but nothing special. By the time we hit September, the swell period stretches out to 10 seconds, giving a bit more push, but the wind is often cross or cross-onshore, spoiling the shape. The first week of September is mostly a no-go with choppy, messy conditions. The period around the 3rd September might offer a clean morning with a 3ft ENE swell at 10 seconds and cross-offshore wind, but it’s a gamble and the energy is still only moderate (164).
Overall, if you want a wave, your best bet is that Tuesday the 25th morning. Get on it early. The rest of the time, you’re either looking at onshore slop or tiny, glassy but gutless waves.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon morning. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 51 | 54 | 79 | 73 | 65 | 58 | 107 | 87 | 87 | 127 | 94 | 89 | 107 | 157 | 202 | 153 | 134 | 85 | 87 | 92 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | cross |
High Tide | 4:32PM1.25m | 4:42AM0.80m | 5:25PM1.33m | 5:45AM0.86m | 6:07PM1.41m | 6:29AM0.94m | 6:43PM1.48m | 7:06AM1.03m | 7:17PM1.54m | 7:40AM1.11m | 7:50PM1.57m | 8:13AM1.20m | 8:23PM1.58m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:31PM0.50m | 10:15AM0.40m | 00:13AM0.42m | 11:10AM0.36m | 00:48AM0.33m | 11:57AM0.31m | 1:19AM0.26m | 12:39PM0.26m | 1:48AM0.20m | 1:18PM0.21m | 2:16AM0.15m | 1:55PM0.18m | 2:45AM0.13m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 51 | 54 | 79 | 73 | 65 | 58 | 107 | 87 | 87 | 127 | 94 | 89 | 107 | 157 | 202 | 153 | 134 | 85 | 87 | 92 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | ESE 9 | SE 7 | NE 10 | SE 11 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SE 10 | SE 10 | S 10 | NE 8 | E 13 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NNE 7 |
| kJ | 2 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 52 | 91 | 78 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SE 7 | SE 8 | S 9 | — | SE 13 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 5 | E 16 | E 15 | E 14 | — | — | — | — | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 3 | SE 3 | S 4 | S 7 | — | — | — | — | N 3 | — | — | SW 2 | SSE 4 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 2 | 6 | 51 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 1 | 20 | 25 | 3 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 531 | 129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 28 | 7 |
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.
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