Surf Forecasts:
Broken Head surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, ESE swell with 232 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Broken Head this week:
The surf forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Broken Head in the next 16 days are 1.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Broken Head.
We're looking at a pretty quiet run for the next week or so. The water temp is sitting at 68°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. The first real standout doesn't come until Thursday morning, the 20th of August. We've got a clean 5ft ESE swell with light offshore winds, making for some good surf. The combined energy is moderate at 310, so there's some push there, but the period is a short 8 seconds, so it'll be a bit more on the choppy, wind-swell side. This is the best we'll see for a good while.
After that Thursday morning window, the surf drops right off. From Thursday afternoon all the way through to the end of August, it's a pretty grim run of small, weak swells and onshore or cross-onshore winds. There's a lot of small surf with combined energy dipping well below 100 at times, and the wind is rarely our friend. It's a proper dry spell.
We do have a few days with glassy conditions, like Saturday afternoon the 22nd and Monday morning the 24th, but the swell is tiny—2ft and 2ft respectively—so it's just not enough to get excited about. The 2ft on the 24th does have a 13-second period, which is a nice long-period groundswell, but it's just too small to do anything with.
The light at the end of the tunnel comes on the 1st of September, Tuesday morning. We get a clean 4ft ENE swell, period is 9 seconds, light offshore winds, and the combined energy jumps to 318. It's a solid, surfable morning. The next day, Wednesday the 2nd, the swell builds to 5ft from the E, with a period of 10 seconds. The energy is getting serious at 605, and the wind is a clean cross-offshore. This is a proper setup—moderate energy, decent size, clean conditions. The only downside is that the direction is a bit more east than the ideal ENE for this spot, but it's still going to produce some fun waves.
Then on Thursday the 3rd of September, we get another glassy morning with a 5ft E swell, 10-second period, and 472 in combined energy. That's a beautiful-looking morning, though it's still a bit east of the optimum. The size is right in the sweet spot for a point break like Broken Head, not too big, not too small.
So, to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. The best of the whole forecast is the run from Tuesday the 1st of September through to Thursday the 3rd of September. Tuesday morning and Thursday morning are the pick of the bunch with those clean, offshore conditions. Wednesday the 2nd has the biggest energy and size, but the wind is a little more side-on. Keep an eye on the forecast for that window, as it's a bit further out, but it's looking like the only real opportunity we've got.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | SSE 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
300 | 232 | 99 | 47 | 31 | 44 | 75 | 51 | 79 | 73 | 64 | 61 | 93 | 72 | 99 | 103 | 99 | 70 | 85 | 104 | 69 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:49PM1.21m | 1:26AM0.85m | 3:05PM1.21m | 3:01AM0.80m | 4:16PM1.27m | 4:25AM0.83m | 5:11PM1.35m | 5:23AM0.89m | 5:54PM1.45m | 6:06AM0.97m | 6:31PM1.55m | 6:44AM1.05m | 7:04PM1.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:25PM0.62m | 7:36AM0.40m | 10:07PM0.59m | 8:54AM0.42m | 11:16PM0.51m | 10:07AM0.38m | 00:01AM0.41m | 11:04AM0.31m | 00:36AM0.32m | 11:49AM0.23m | 1:08AM0.23m | 12:29PM0.16m | 1:38AM0.16m | ||||||||
6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
— | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 15 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 20 | 16 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 |
300 | 232 | 99 | 47 | 31 | 44 | 75 | 51 | 79 | 73 | 64 | 61 | 66 | 72 | 99 | 103 | 99 | 70 | 85 | 104 | 69 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | ESE 10 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | S 8 | S 5 | SSE 13 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | N 4 | S 9 | NE 7 |
10 | 21 | 55 | 28 | 28 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 93 | 63 | 76 | 83 | 58 | 32 | 9 | 27 | 25 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 8 | ESE 7 | E 13 | E 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | NE 10 | S 11 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | NE 7 | S 10 | S 16 | S 8 |
— | 10 | 21 | 39 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 5 | 13 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 4 | NW 3 | NNE 3 | NW 3 | — | S 4 | — | — | — | NE 3 | — | NE 3 | NNE 4 | N 4 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 8 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 1 | — | 6 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 5 | 26 | 12 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 264 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 452 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 20 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Broken Head Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Broken Head provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Broken Head can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Broken Head 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 (Broken Head) 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 Broken Head 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.
Broken Head is 19 km (12 miles) from Ballina. If you plan a holiday in North Coast - New South Wales, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ballina. Ballina has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











