
Surf Forecasts:
The Spit surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, ESE swell with 3,810 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s 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 Thursday (Jul 23) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m 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 4.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 10PM. 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spit over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at The Spit for the next couple of weeks.
To be honest, this is a pretty grim run for The Spit. The whole forecast is just one long stretch of poor conditions, with no real standouts for a proper surf. The winds are mostly cross, cross-on, or just plain messy, and the swell is backed up by some pretty strong energy for a river mouth – we’re talking a combined energy of around 276 to 1570, which is moderate to strong, but it’s all wasted on the wrong wind. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there. The Spit is a consistent river break, exposed to the east, with an optimum swell from the east, but the swell we’re getting is mostly from the SE or ESE.
For the first week, from Friday the 17th of July right through to the following Friday the 24th, it’s just a write-off. The swell gets up to 8 ft or even 10 ft on Monday the 20th, but it’s all cross-onshore wind, making it lumpy, choppy, and messy. That size is for experts only, but with the wind, it’s not even worth it. The period is around 8 to 10 seconds, which is pretty average. There’s a brief moment on Wednesday morning the 22nd with a slight cross-on and 5 ft, but it’s only a 1/10 quality. The end of the week, around Friday the 24th, sees a drop in size to 5 ft, but the wind is still fresh cross-shore, so it’s lumpy.
The second week looks bleak too. From Saturday the 25th of July to Thursday the 31st, the swell drops right off to 1.0 ft to 3 ft, with only a couple of ‘surfable but very ordinary’ moments. The combined energy is weak, down in the 23 to 86 range for most of it. The best you’ll get is Thursday the 23rd morning with a light cross-off, 3 ft, and clean conditions, but it’s just a 1/10. Then on the 31st of July, Friday afternoon, there’s a glassy moment with 0.7 ft, but that’s barely a ripple. On Saturday the 1st of August, the wind finally goes offshore from the west at 19 mph, but the swell is just 1 ft, so it’s clean but tiny.
Honestly, there’s nothing here to get excited about. If you’re a beginner, the 4 ft to 5 ft stuff on the first few days might be *okay* size, but the wind is just too bad. For everyone else, save your energy. The best chance is possibly the 23rd of July morning, but it’s still a very ordinary wave. With a beach and river setup and this much wind, this might be more interesting for kite surfing than a standard paddle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 14°C on Sat morning). Mainly strong winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon morning, min 18°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Sun night, light winds from the ESE by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
403 | 221 | 248 | 289 | 351 | 1339 | 3019 | 1137 | 1004 | 1316 | 1564 | 1347 | 1576 | 1079 | 666 | 464 | 325 | 275 | 230 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:26AM1.21m | 10:43PM1.67m | 11:14AM1.20m | 11:25PM1.52m | 12:03PM1.19m | 00:07AM1.37m | 12:55PM1.18m | 00:49AM1.21m | 1:53PM1.18m | 1:34AM1.08m | 3:00PM1.20m | 2:28AM0.97m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:38AM0.20m | 4:10PM0.25m | 5:20AM0.23m | 5:01PM0.33m | 6:01AM0.26m | 5:53PM0.42m | 6:42AM0.30m | 6:52PM0.52m | 7:25AM0.34m | 8:01PM0.59m | 8:11AM0.36m | 9:24PM0.63m | |||||||
— | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | |
mm | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | E 6 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ESE 8 | — | — | SE 20 | SE 23 | — | S 17 | — | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
11 | 46 | 58 | 56 | 351 | — | — | 15 | 21 | — | 6 | — | 1115 | 740 | 666 | 464 | 325 | 275 | 230 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | S 24 | S 19 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 |
— | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 11 | S 16 | — | S 14 | E 12 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | — | 4 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | SE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
403 | 221 | 248 | 289 | 13 | 1339 | 3019 | 1137 | 1004 | 1316 | 1564 | 1347 | 1576 | 1079 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 460 | 576 | 619 | 22 | 22 | 665 | 671 | 655 | 620 | 348 | 166 | 80 | 28 | 22 | 28 | 22 | 17 | 28 | 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.










