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Home/Surf Conditions/ Snapper Rocks
Live surf report

Snapper Rocks

Australia · Australasia

Current score
2.6
Flat
🌧️

Right now

Drizzle
Wave height
1.9 m
6-7 ft / Head high+
Swell
7s Wind swell
From 89°
Wind
13 km/h
Cross-offshore S
Water temp
17°C
3/2mm full suit

Wind and swell direction

NESW

Swell: 1.9m E

Wind: 13 km/h SSW (cross-offshore)

Beach faces: E

Cross-offshore wind. Still favourable, expect reasonably clean waves with some texture.

Swell is arriving at a great angle for this beach.

Today hour by hour

Updated 08:32
5am
--
Dark
Dark
6am
100
Epic
1.9m
7s wind
13kn S
Best
7am
100
Epic
1.9m
7s wind
12kn SW
8am
100
Epic
1.9m
7s wind
11kn S
9am
100
Epic
1.9m
7s wind
13kn S
10am
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
17kn SE
11am
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
14kn SE
12pm
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
16kn SE
1pm
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
13kn S
2pm
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
14kn SE
3pm
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
8kn S
4pm
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
15kn SE
5pm
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
8kn S
6pm
100
Epic
1.8m
7s wind
11kn S
7pm
--
Dark
Dark
8pm
--
Dark
Dark
RatingEpicGreatGoodFairModeratePoor

Expected crowds

Prediction model v1
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm

6amDawn patrol territory

7amMidweek quiet

EmptyQuietModerateBusyPacked

Next 7 days

Forecast via Open-Meteo
Today
27 Apr
🌧️
7.0
1.8 m
7s · 15 km/h
quiet
Midweek
Tomorrow
28 Apr
🌧️
6.4
1.8 m
7s · 19 km/h
quiet
Midweek
Wed
29 Apr
🌧️
6.3
1.8 m
7s · 21 km/h
quiet
Midweek
Thu
30 Apr
🌧️
6.2
2.2 m
7s · 23 km/h
quiet
Midweek
Fri
1 May
🌧️
6.4
2.2 m
7s · 21 km/h
moderate
Friday
Sat
2 May
🌧️
6.0
1.5 m
7s · 21 km/h
busy
Saturday
Sun
3 May
🌧️
7.5
1.7 m
8s · 11 km/h
busy
Sunday
Best session

What to pack

Today's briefing

Alright mate, looks pretty dismal out there this morning for Sn

AI-generated summary for Snapper Rocks. Always check local reports before heading out.

Forecast accuracy at Snapper Rocks

Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.

Best time to go

Today 6am-10am

quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session

86
Head high+VariableQuiet
Tomorrow 6am-10am

quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session

Head high+VariableQuiet
86
Today 2pm-6pm

uncrowded conditions

Head high+VariableQuiet
78

Nearby spots right now

Snapper RocksYou are here
1.82mOnshore
Flat
Kirra
0.9 miles1.82mCross-onshore
Flat
Burleigh Heads
8.2 miles1.82mOnshore
Flat

Crowd report

No recent check-ins. Be the first to report.

Session journal

Record your session, conditions and gear.

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Tide

Approximate model
5am8pm
High 09:002.5m
Low 15:120.1m

Swell forecast

7-day forecast
Swell heightWind wavesBest day
Long (12s+)Medium (8-11s)Short (below 8s)

Daily score breakdown

Swell quality5.5/7
Swell alignmentx1.00
Wind1.5/3
The luck factor

This week is looking slightly above average for late April.

Comparing the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Snapper Rocks.

Below avgAbove avg
6.9/10
vs typical 6.4/10 for late April

What's driving it

Average swell height
1.2 m typical
1.9 m
Swell period
6.8 s typical
7.1 s
Wind
16 km/h typical
18 km/h
Solid swell days
0.6 typical
0 forecast

Recent form

Last 4 days of logged conditions.

30-day average
4.3/10
Days firing
0
Score 7 or higher
Best day recently
6.2/10
24 Apr
Days logged
4
Planning tool

Best time to visit Snapper Rocks

Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.

Key insights

  • The best week for surf at Snapper Rocks is the week of 11 May (score 3/5) with low crowds.
  • Avoid the week of 28 December if you can due to Summer holidays and Christmas break.

Best time to visit

2026
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
5: Sweet spot
4: Great time
3: Average
2: Below average
1: Avoid

Crowd calendar

How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.

27 Apr
Quiet
4 May
Quiet
11 May
Very quiet
18 May
Quiet
25 May
Quiet
1 Jun
Very quiet
8 Jun
Quiet
15 Jun
Quiet
22 Jun
Very busy
29 Jun
Very busy
6 Jul
Very busy
13 Jul
Very busy
20 Jul
Quiet
27 Jul
Quiet
3 Aug
Quiet
10 Aug
Quiet
17 Aug
Quiet
24 Aug
Quiet
31 Aug
Quiet
7 Sept
Very quiet
14 Sept
Very busy
21 Sept
Very busy
28 Sept
Very busy
5 Oct
Very busy
12 Oct
Very busy
19 Oct
Quiet
26 Oct
Quiet
2 Nov
Very quiet
9 Nov
Very quiet
16 Nov
Very quiet
23 Nov
Quiet
30 Nov
Very quiet
7 Dec
Very busy
14 Dec
Very busy
21 Dec
Very busy
28 Dec
Very busy
Very quiet
Quiet
Moderate
Busy
Very busy

School holidays affecting this destination

Summer holidays(Australia)
13 Dec - 26 Jan
Summer holidays(New Zealand)
17 Dec - 2 Feb
Summer holidays(Australia)
18 Dec - 27 Jan
Summer holidays(Australia)
19 Dec - 28 Jan
Ferias de Natal(Brazil)
20 Dec - 31 Jan
Presidents' Day weekend(United States)
14-16 February
February half-term(United Kingdom)
14-22 February
Carnaval(Brazil)
14-18 February
Spring break(United States)
14-22 March
Haru yasumi(Japan)
25 Mar - 6 Apr
Autumn break(Australia)
28 Mar - 12 Apr
Easter holidays(United Kingdom)
28 Mar - 12 Apr
Autumn break(Australia)
4-19 April
Autumn break(New Zealand)
4-19 April
Autumn break(Australia)
11-26 April
Golden Week(Japan)
29 Apr - 5 May
May half-term(United Kingdom)
23-31 May
Summer break(United States)
10 Jun - 25 Aug
Winter break(Australia)
27 Jun - 12 Jul
Ferias de julho(Brazil)
1-31 July
Winter break(Australia)
4-19 July
Winter break(New Zealand)
4-19 July
Summer holidays(United Kingdom)
18 Jul - 1 Sept
Natsu yasumi(Japan)
21 Jul - 31 Aug
Obon(Japan)
13-16 August
Spring break(Australia)
19 Sept - 4 Oct
Spring break(Australia)
26 Sept - 11 Oct
Spring break(New Zealand)
26 Sept - 11 Oct
Spring break(Australia)
3-18 October
October half-term(United Kingdom)
24 Oct - 1 Nov
Thanksgiving break(United States)
25-29 November
Summer holidays(Australia)
12 Dec - 25 Jan
Summer holidays(New Zealand)
17 Dec - 1 Feb
Summer holidays(Australia)
18 Dec - 27 Jan
Summer holidays(Australia)
19 Dec - 28 Jan
Christmas break(United States)
19 Dec - 3 Jan
Christmas holidays(United Kingdom)
19 Dec - 3 Jan
Fuyu yasumi(Japan)
28 Dec - 3 Jan
How are these scores calculated?

The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).

Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.

Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.

About Snapper Rocks

The starting point of the Superbank, one of the longest sand-bottom waves in the world, stretching along the Gold Coast. Warm subtropical water and consistent swell make it rideable year-round, with the massive tourism industry creating abundant seasonal work.

Compare nearby spots in detail

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Frequently asked questions

How often is this page updated?

Current conditions refresh every 6 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.

What is the luck factor?

We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Snapper Rocks. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical late April.

How is 'best session' picked?

We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.

Where does the data come from?

Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).

Does the score capture local knowledge?

Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.

When is the best time to surf Snapper Rocks?

The best week for surf at Snapper Rocks is the week of 11 May (score 3/5) with low crowds.