
Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, E swell with 246 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 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 Tuesday (Aug 04) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. 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 1.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day run for The Spit is a tough one to call. There’s surf on offer almost every day, but the quality is the real issue. It’s a long stretch of small, often messy waves, and the wind is a constant battle. We’ve got a few brief windows of clean conditions, but they’re short-lived. The waters are sitting at 68° – about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Let’s start with the best of what’s on offer. Wednesday morning, the 5th of August, is actually your best bet. The swell is a tiny 3 ft from the east, with a period of 10 seconds – that’s a bit of groundswell energy, which is nice for a river mouth like this. The wind is light and from the northwest, making it a cross-offshore breeze, so the surface will be clean. The combined wave energy is moderate (131). It’s not going to be big or powerful, but for a beginner-friendly spot, it’s a rare moment of decent shape.
Thursday morning, the 6th, is another small window. The swell drops to 2 ft from the east, but the wind swings south and goes glassy – flat calm. That’s about as good as it gets for a tiny wave, but it’ll be clean and fun on a longboard. The energy is weak (68).
After that, the wind turns sour. Friday the 7th starts glassy again in the morning with 2 ft swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be weak and a bit crumbly. By the afternoon, it’s onshore and messy.
The weekend of the 9th and 10th sees a slight bump in swell, hitting 4 ft from the east, with a period of 9 seconds. The energy is moderate (213). Monday morning the 10th has a solid offshore breeze from the west-northwest, which will clean things up, but the swell is just 4 ft and the period is still short. It’s a marginal call.
From the 14th of August onward, the swell picks up but the wind completely wrecks it. We’re looking at 5 ft to 5 ft swell from the southeast, with periods around 10 seconds. The energy is strong (458 to 516), but it’s all cross-onshore and choppy. The Spit is a river-mouth break, and with that much wind and that direction, it’s going to be a washing machine. If you’re a kite surfer, this setup might look interesting, but for paddle surfing, it’s a hard pass.
The final week from the 15th to the 19th is a real grind. The swell stays between 4 ft and 6 ft, but it’s consistently cross-onshore or onshore, with wind speeds ramping up to 19 mph. The wave energy is high (up to 561), but the conditions are just poor. The period drops to 8 seconds on the 17th and 18th, making it short-period wind swell. There’s a brief moment on the 19th where the swell hits 6 ft and the period is 10 seconds, but the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s a marginal call at best.
Honestly, the standout is that Wednesday morning, the 5th. It’s the only time where the wind, swell direction, and energy all align for a clean, surfable wave. The rest of the period is a waiting game – small windows of glassy mornings, but the swell is too small to really get excited about. If you’re desperate, get out on the 5th or the 6th morning, and then keep an eye on the long-range forecast around the 19th, but that’s a long shot and not reliable this far out.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | E 11 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 57 | 122 | 101 | 55 | 32 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 54 | 64 | 58 | 52 | 173 | 192 | 198 | 164 | 188 | 146 | 108 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:59PM1.29m | 12:50PM1.30m | 00:49AM1.17m | 1:55PM1.33m | 1:53AM1.05m | 3:12PM1.39m | 3:16AM0.97m | 4:34PM1.48m | 4:50AM0.96m | 5:43PM1.60m | 6:06AM1.02m | 6:41PM1.70m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:54PM0.43m | 6:22AM0.29m | 7:01PM0.51m | 7:12AM0.33m | 8:26PM0.56m | 8:14AM0.35m | 10:04PM0.55m | 9:25AM0.35m | 11:28PM0.46m | 10:38AM0.31m | 00:31AM0.35m | 11:44AM0.25m | 1:21AM0.26m | |||||||
— | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 10 | E 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
15 | 38 | 122 | 101 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 54 | 64 | 58 | 52 | 173 | 192 | 198 | 164 | 188 | 146 | 108 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | E 11 | E 18 | E 18 | E 9 | E 8 | ENE 6 | ESE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ESE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | E 13 | NE 8 | NNE 7 |
16 | 57 | 6 | 6 | 55 | 32 | 17 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 27 | 10 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | E 19 | NE 9 | SE 8 | E 18 | E 16 | E 16 | E 16 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 16 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | E 13 | S 8 |
11 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 3 | N 3 | NW 3 | NE 2 | NE 4 | — | — | — | SSE 4 | ESE 2 | SSE 4 | SSE 2 | SE 4 | S 5 | — | — | NNE 4 | NW 3 | NW 3 | — |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 17 | — | — | 13 | 5 | 3 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 81 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 24 | 28 | 0 | 24 | 130 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.











