Gold Coast and Tweed · Thursday, Sep 24

Snapper Rocks

Updated Wed, Sep 23, 10:20 AM GMT+10

When to go

6:00 AM–8:00 AM

Looks good · Low confidence

4.4–4.5 ft · Offshore waves · not face height

Wind: 5.8 kt · offshore

Forecast details

Light wind should keep the water smoother.

Other wind windows

Plan around the wind

The best available upcoming daylight wind sample to compare with the wave evidence. This compares wind only; wave size, tide suitability, and hazards can change your choice.

6:00 AM–8:00 AM · Australia/Brisbane
Light wind · up to 5.8 kt · reported gusts up to 14.2 kt
Offshore waves: 4.4–4.5 ft across the period. Surf height unavailable. Tide data unavailable.
Wind source time: Sep 23, 9:30 AM GMT+10. This is not the model run issue time.

How these periods are chosen

The planner prefers three consecutive hourly samples covering two daylight hours, but retains shorter one- or two-sample evidence when that is all the forecast provides. Light wind means at most 6 kt. Moderate offshore means at most 12 kt from land toward the sea when shore orientation is verified. Strong wind or known gusts of 20 kt or more remain visible as cautions instead of making the entire comparison disappear. These are comparison labels, not locally tested surf-quality or safety ratings. Missing gusts remain unknown. Terrain shelter, currents, closures, and your ability are not assessed.

Forecast confidence

Returned marine grid point is 15.1 km from the mapped spot. Provider grid resolution is not established for this response.
Reference model hour: 22 hours from now; historical residuals do not measure forecast lead-time error.
No accepted local model for these inputs: missing history, unsupported direction/period/height, or failed historical validation.
Tide unavailable: assessment incomplete, especially at shallow reef breaks.
A mapped coordinate does not establish nearshore grid resolution or terrain/shelter accuracy.

Wind ESE 5.8 kt

Tide Unavailable

Wave, wind and tide details

Offshore model swellESE 3.0 ft @ 6sValid 2026-09-24 08:00 · Australia/BrisbaneMarine grid -28.0417, 153.6250 · offshore model, not a local measurement

Offshore model sea4.5 ft @ 6.3sSignificant wave height including wind waves and swell; not breaking surfValid 2026-09-24 08:00 · Australia/Brisbane

Model windESE 5.8 ktoffshoreValid 2026-09-24 08:00 · Australia/Brisbane5.5 kt offshore component

TideUnavailableunavailableNo verified local tide station connected; no tide height estimated

Surf height unavailable. Coastal and offshore waves are not breaking-wave heights.

Surf and wind

Recommended window: No recommended window

Breaking surf is not reliably resolved. Hourly offshore swell and wind inputs are listed below.

Hourly forecast

Hourly surf forecast for Snapper Rocks
Time	Wind	Tide	Offshore swell
12 AM	SE 4.3 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.5 ft @ 5s
1 AM	SE 3.6 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.6 ft @ 5s
2 AM	SE 3.9 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.5 ft @ 5s
3 AM	SE 3.6 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.5 ft @ 5s
4 AM	SE 3.4 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.5 ft @ 5s
5 AM	SE 3 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.3 ft @ 5s
6 AM	SE 3.1 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.3 ft @ 5s
7 AM	SE 4 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.1 ft @ 5s
8 AM	ESE 5.8 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.0 ft @ 6s
9 AM	E 8.1 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.0 ft @ 6s
10 AM	E 8.7 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 2.8 ft @ 6s
11 AM	E 10 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.1 ft @ 6s
Noon	E 10.1 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.5 ft @ 6s
1 PM	E 9.7 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 3.8 ft @ 5s
2 PM	ESE 9.5 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 3.8 ft @ 5s
3 PM	E 9.8 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 3.8 ft @ 5s
4 PM	ESE 9.4 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 3.8 ft @ 5s
5 PM	ESE 8.3 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 3.8 ft @ 6s
6 PM	ESE 7 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.8 ft @ 6s
7 PM	ESE 7 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	ESE 3.8 ft @ 6s
8 PM	SE 6.9 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 3.9 ft @ 6s
9 PM	SE 6 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 4.1 ft @ 6s
10 PM	SE 4.2 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 4.2 ft @ 6s
11 PM	SE 3.8 ktoffshore	Unavailableunavailable	E 4.3 ft @ 6s

12 AMUnavailable

WindSE 4.3 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.5 ft @ 5s

1 AMUnavailable

WindSE 3.6 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.6 ft @ 5s

2 AMUnavailable

WindSE 3.9 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.5 ft @ 5s

3 AMUnavailable

WindSE 3.6 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.5 ft @ 5s

4 AMUnavailable

WindSE 3.4 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.5 ft @ 5s

5 AMUnavailable

WindSE 3 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.3 ft @ 5s

6 AMUnavailable

WindSE 3.1 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.3 ft @ 5s

7 AMUnavailable

WindSE 4 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.1 ft @ 5s

8 AMUnavailable

WindESE 5.8 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.0 ft @ 6s

9 AMUnavailable

WindE 8.1 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.0 ft @ 6s

10 AMUnavailable

WindE 8.7 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 2.8 ft @ 6s

11 AMUnavailable

WindE 10 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.1 ft @ 6s

NoonUnavailable

WindE 10.1 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.5 ft @ 6s

1 PMUnavailable

WindE 9.7 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 3.8 ft @ 5s

2 PMUnavailable

WindESE 9.5 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 3.8 ft @ 5s

3 PMUnavailable

WindE 9.8 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 3.8 ft @ 5s

4 PMUnavailable

WindESE 9.4 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 3.8 ft @ 5s

5 PMUnavailable

WindESE 8.3 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 3.8 ft @ 6s

6 PMUnavailable

WindESE 7 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.8 ft @ 6s

7 PMUnavailable

WindESE 7 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellESE 3.8 ft @ 6s

8 PMUnavailable

WindSE 6.9 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 3.9 ft @ 6s

9 PMUnavailable

WindSE 6 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 4.1 ft @ 6s

10 PMUnavailable

WindSE 4.2 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 4.2 ft @ 6s

11 PMUnavailable

WindSE 3.8 ktoffshoreTideUnavailableunavailableOffshore swellE 4.3 ft @ 6s

Tide

Local tide station unavailable

Tide predictions are unavailable for this period.

About this spot

Model-grid forecast requested at the mapped coordinate; reef, headland, and nearshore transformations are unresolved. Point break. Named-break coordinate and exposure reviewed; nearby Tweed Heads Hsig is offshore evidence, not breaking surf.

Mapped spot coordinate: -28.16, 153.55.

Mainland · Point Danger northwest-facing exposed point coast · Ocean-facing bearing 315° · Location provenance

Model request point: Snapper Rocks (-28.16, 153.55). Model output times describe valid conditions; the provider does not expose the model run issue time in this response.

Forecast sources

Data coverage 2/6 sources

Source availability is not forecast accuracy. Where an empirical model passes historical testing, its error and interval coverage are shown above. Source count cannot increase that confidence.

Coverage tier B · AU_QLD · spot-level model point

Australian Bureau of Meteorology Marine Forecasts/AUSWAVE
BOM publishes Gold Coast Waters for five spots and Byron Coast for Duranbah, but blocks automated web access and its sanctioned anonymous data host was unreachable; neither zone is scraped or substituted.UnavailableNo source time
Queensland Government Wave Monitoring
No current assigned Queensland Government wave observation passed station identity, value, local timestamp, freshness, distance, and spot-scope validation.UnavailableNo source time
Australian Ocean Data Network / IMOS
No separate current IMOS observation with a closer verified identity and exposure is connected.UnavailableNo source time
WorldTides API
The source page links BOM Snapper Rocks tide tables, but no machine-readable current response with verified station identity, distance, chart datum, and timezone is connected.UnavailableNo source time
Open-Meteo Marine API
1 of 1 configured model points availableCurrentSep 23, 9:30 AM GMT+10
Open-Meteo Weather API
1 of 1 configured model points availableCurrentSep 23, 9:30 AM GMT+10
Surf-Forecast public pages
Spot discovery and break-specific HTML fallbackNot applicableNo source time
Surfline public spot pages
Break-specific comparison, cams, and metadataNot applicableNo source time

How best guesses are made

Best guesses combine usable wave and wind evidence, with qualitative confidence and specific limitations. A missing tide or local surf-height model does not prevent useful guidance. Tide levels use the named station datum; their effect at this break remains uncertain. Wind direction is relative to the mapped beach orientation, without calibrated terrain or shelter effects. The comparison is a heuristic, not a measured quality rating.