
Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, SSE swell with 2,826 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period with ESE 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 (Jul 13) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period. 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 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for The Spit over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, the first week and a half is a real struggle. We’ve got a long, bleak run of small, weak, and messy conditions. From Sunday the 12th right through to late in the week, the waves are tiny—mostly under 3 ft—and the wind is all over the shop. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking 100 (102) at best to start, and then dropping into the single digits later. It’s just not worth paddling out for. There’s a long gap of poor surf here, so don’t bother suiting up.
The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Thursday morning, July 16th. The swell bumps up to 6 ft from the SSE, and the combined energy jumps to 544 (moderate). The wind is cross-offshore from the SSW, which should keep it reasonably clean. But by the afternoon, the wind howls onshore at 25 mph, the swell jumps to 7 ft, and it turns into a total mess. That morning window is the only real chance, and it’s marginal.
Friday and Saturday, July 17th and 18th, are a write-off. The swell gets bigger, but the wind is strong and cross-shore, smashing up the surf. By Saturday, we’re looking at 10 ft swell with a combined energy over 2000 (strong to very strong), but it’s blown out with a strong cross-shore wind. That’s too big for beginners and will be a washing machine. Actually, with that much wind and power at a beach setup, it’s starting to look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The standout window is the morning of Sunday, July 19th. The swell is 8 ft from the SSE with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 1965. The wind is cross-shore from the S at 22 mph, but the forecast says wind and tide are favorable. The catch? It’s predicted to be too big for this break. For experienced surfers only. The afternoon settles a bit to 7 ft with a cross-off wind, which is cleaner but still only for the brave.
The second week gets a little more promising. Tuesday morning, July 21st, is a beauty. The swell drops to 5 ft from the E with a 10-second period, and the wind goes glassy—dead calm. The combined energy is 556 (moderate), and the conditions are clean. This is the best call for the whole outlook. The Spit is a river mouth, and that E swell with glassy conditions should offer some fun, clean lines. It’s a consistent break, but crowds are often an issue here, so get there early.
After that, it gets small again. From Thursday, July 23rd, through to the end of the period, we’re back to tiny surf under 3 ft with weak energy. The wind is mostly offshore or light, so it’ll be clean but tiny. The very end of the run, from Saturday, July 26th, into Monday, July 27th, shows a 2 ft swell with a nice long period of 12 to 14 seconds, but the energy is still weak (under 150). It’s surfable, but ordinary.
To wrap it up: the best bet is the glassy morning of Tuesday, July 21st. The swell is 5 ft from the east, and the conditions will be clean. For the brave, the morning of Sunday, July 19th offers the biggest swell, but it’s expert-only. The rest is a long wait for something decent.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Wed night, strong winds from the SSE by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 5 | SE 9 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
102 | 64 | 33 | 32 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 202 | 541 | 910 | 430 | 249 | 324 | 817 | 2135 | 1865 | 2826 | 1093 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-on | off | off | on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:49PM1.74m | 7:05AM1.10m | 7:41PM1.82m | 8:01AM1.14m | 8:30PM1.86m | 8:51AM1.17m | 9:16PM1.85m | 9:39AM1.20m | 10:00PM1.78m | 10:26AM1.21m | 10:43PM1.67m | 11:14AM1.20m | 11:25PM1.52m | 12:03PM1.19m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:29AM0.34m | 12:45PM0.21m | 2:21AM0.26m | 1:39PM0.18m | 3:09AM0.22m | 2:30PM0.17m | 3:54AM0.20m | 3:20PM0.20m | 4:38AM0.20m | 4:10PM0.25m | 5:20AM0.23m | 5:01PM0.33m | 6:01AM0.26m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | |
5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | 5:08 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 18 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | E 7 | — | SE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | E 10 |
102 | 64 | 33 | 32 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 202 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 70 | — | 817 | 2135 | 1865 | 868 | 620 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 8 | — | — | — | — | E 11 | SE 10 |
— | — | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 606 | 241 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 4 | — | SSE 8 | — | SE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 24 |
— | 1 | — | 6 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | S 4 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | S 5 | SW 4 | S 4 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 33 | 14 | 541 | 910 | 430 | 249 | 324 | 42 | 4 | 35 | 2826 | 1093 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 0 | 17 | 149 | 17 | 29 | 326 | 299 | 302 | 68 | 22 | 835 | 796 | 759 | 68 | 796 | 176 | 687 | 687 | 348 | 68 |
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.











