Blackhead Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna level with you—this 16-day run for Blackhead is a real mixed bag. We’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands for anything truly special, but there’s a standout window that’ll get the heart pumping if you’ve got the skills.

The pattern starts quiet. Sunday the 30th of August is a write-off. We’ve got a tiny 2ft southerly swell, but the wind’s honking from the west at 22 mph. It’s clean, but the wave energy is weak (114), and the surf’s just poor. Monday the 31st sees a jump to 4ft from the SSW, with a very long 16-second period—that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is a solid 1090, but the west wind is strong at 25 mph. It’s offshore and clean, but that strength makes it hard to paddle into. The rating is only a 2, and it’s described as marginal.

The real action kicks off on Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning has 8ft from the south at 13 seconds, energy at 2408, but it’s cross-off and still marginal. Then comes the afternoon—and this is the highlight. The swell jumps to a hefty 13ft from the SSW, with a period of 12 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 7141, which is very strong. The wind drops to a light 6 mph cross-off from the WSW, making it clean. This is rated as exceptional surf, but only for expert surfers. At 13ft, this is big, powerful stuff. The break is Blackhead, a point break, and with that long-period groundswell energy, it should line up nicely. Expect crowds here sometimes, so it’s not a secret spot.

Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd of September offer more solid surf, but nothing that hits the same peak. Wednesday morning has 8ft from the south at 13 seconds, energy at 2365, with a moderate offshore from the WNW at 16 mph. Wednesday afternoon is even better with the same size but a very long 17-second period and energy at 4190, still clean and offshore. Thursday morning drops to 5ft, energy 798, and by Thursday afternoon it’s down to 4ft with energy at 436—still surfable, but fading.

After that, it’s a long, dry spell. From Friday the 4th of September all the way through to Sunday the 13th of September, the surf is poor or marginal at best. Waves rarely push above 4ft, and the energy is weak, often below 300. Winds are mostly offshore or cross-off, keeping it clean, but there’s just not enough push. There’s a blip on Sunday the 6th with 4ft from the SSW and a 14-second period, energy at 523, and light winds, giving “very good” surf conditions, but it only rates a 3. It’s a tease. Monday the 7th is a write-off with near gale-force offshore winds at 31 mph and tiny waves.

We finally see a slight uptick on Monday the 14th of September—the last day of the forecast. The morning has 2ft from the SSW with a very long 17-second period, energy at 529, and a moderate cross-off from the WSW at 16 mph. It’s clean, but small. Described as marginal, rating a 2. Not enough to get too excited about.

So, the standout is without a doubt Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon. That 13ft SSW swell with light offshore winds at Blackhead is the one to aim for. It’s an expert-only day though—this is not a beginner’s wave. The rest of the run is mostly a waiting game, with a few small windows for a paddle.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty.

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