Broken Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight up – this is a tough forecast for Broken Head. We’re staring down a long, dry spell of mostly small, wind-affected waves for the first week and a half. The only real glimmer comes at the end of the window, around the 10th of September, but even that comes with strong wind.

The pattern this week is dominated by tiny swell and crap wind. From Monday the 31st of August through to Tuesday the 8th of September, it’s a whole lot of cross-onshore breezes, choppy surface, and waves barely pushing waist-high. There’s a brief moment on Monday morning with 4ft from the SSE at 9 seconds and a nice offshore SW breeze – combined energy sitting at a moderate 273 – but it’s just a flash in the pan. The rest of that week is a write-off: 2ft to 3ft junk, mostly from the north, with wind ruining any chance of a clean face. Honestly, unless you’re desperate to get wet, you’re better off doing something else.

There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations here – it’s pretty grim.

Then, on Wednesday the 9th of September, things finally get a pulse. We’ve got a solid 6ft to 7ft NNE groundswell rolling in, with a period of 7 seconds, pushed by strong offshore SW winds. The combined energy jumps right up to 523 on Wednesday afternoon (strong to very strong). But here’s the catch – those offshore winds are blowing at 28 mph. That’s a clean wave face, sure, but it’ll be a battle to paddle into, and the swell is over 5ft, so it’s not for beginners. The tide could also mess with the shape. It’s a standout because of the size and clean conditions, but it’s more of an expert window.

Thursday the 10th of September offers a slightly more manageable option. The morning has 5ft from the NE at 7 seconds, with a fresh offshore WSW wind (19 mph) – combined energy 221, moderate to strong. Come Thursday afternoon, the wind drops to a gentle 9 mph offshore from the SSW, and the swell is 5ft from the NE (239 combined energy). This is the pick of the entire 16-day run. Clean, gentle offshore breeze, decent shoulder-high waves, and the break at Broken Head (point) is fairly consistent. It’s rated as beginner-friendly, but at 5ft, some paddling fitness helps. Crowds are often, so expect company. The water temp is 69°, which is about average for this time of year, with just a slight -0.9° anomaly nothing to worry about.

After that, the 11th to the 15th of September sees the swell dropping back down and the wind turning cross-off or onshore again. Size stays between 3ft and 4ft, mostly from the NE with moderate to fresh breezes, so just ordinary, surfable but nothing to write home about.

All in all, the only standout is the afternoon of Thursday the 10th of September at Broken Head. That gentle offshore and clean 5ft NE swell will be the best you’ll get. Everything else is a stay-at-home.

Rusty.

Read more