
Surf Forecasts:
Broken Head surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, SSE swell with 3,230 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period with SSE 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Broken Head in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.5m 10s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf ahead for this stretch. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, with some real wildness coming our way, but don’t get too excited for the next few days. There’s a definite quiet patch to start, then things get interesting, and then they get flat again before a bit of a pulse.
Right now, we’re coming off a small, weak window. The first surf worth mentioning at all is Saturday morning (September 12th). We’ve got a clean 5ft of SE swell out of the southeast with an 8-second period. It’s cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, and the combined energy is moderate at 399. It’s small and a bit short-period, so not a classic, but it’s a start. The water is sitting at 69°, which is about average for this time of year.
After that, forget about it for a few days. Sunday (September 13th) and Monday (September 14th) are poor, with the swell dropping and winds turning onshore. By Tuesday morning (September 15th), we’re down to a tiny 2ft with light cross-on winds, and it just gets smaller and messier. There’s even a day of strong southerly winds on Wednesday (September 16th) that just chops everything up. That’s a solid four-day stretch with nothing worth paddling out for.
Now, here’s where it gets wild. The charts are showing a big pulse arriving Thursday morning (September 17th). We’re looking at a solid 13ft of SSE swell with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 3079. The wind is a cross-off southerly, which will keep it relatively clean, but this is a serious step up in size. You’d want to be a very confident surfer in the water. This kind of size is only for the experienced crew. It stays overhead all day, easing slightly into Friday morning (September 18th) with a 10ft SSE swell and clean conditions under a gentle cross-off breeze. That Friday morning is probably the pick of this whole event for the more advanced surfer – still big, but more manageable.
By Saturday the 19th, the swell backs down to 7ft and the wind swings onshore, so the quality drops off. Then we’re looking at a return to small, ordinary surf for the rest of that week and into the next. Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st are tiny with glassy conditions, but there’s just no power. Another flat spell hits through Tuesday the 22nd with only ankle-biters on offer.
There is a bit of a pulse around Wednesday the 23rd of September – about a week and a half out. We get a clean 6ft of ESE swell with a short 7-second period. The wind is light and offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the period is short, meaning it might be a bit crumbly. The energy is moderate at 345. It’s worth checking, but it’s not the big, solid groundswell we just had.
To be honest, the standout of this whole forecast is that big pulse from Thursday the 17th through Friday the 18th. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s clean. For the average punter, the small windows on Saturday the 12th and maybe Wednesday the 23rd are the only ones that are really approachable. We’ll see how it plays out. Stay safe out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 22°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Wed afternoon, light winds from the SSW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | E 6 | E 13 | NE 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
346 | 274 | 132 | 355 | 235 | 188 | 161 | 116 | 97 | 64 | 56 | 38 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 3079 | 2620 | 2133 | 1559 | 1411 | 1624 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:38PM1.58m | 9:03AM1.46m | 9:12PM1.44m | 9:41AM1.46m | 9:46PM1.29m | 10:20AM1.43m | 10:20PM1.14m | 11:03AM1.36m | 10:58PM1.00m | 11:54AM1.29m | 11:46PM0.89m | 12:58PM1.22m | 1:01AM0.81m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:25PM0.04m | 2:54AM0.02m | 3:07PM0.12m | 3:23AM0.07m | 3:50PM0.21m | 3:53AM0.13m | 4:34PM0.32m | 4:24AM0.21m | 5:24PM0.43m | 4:59AM0.30m | 6:26PM0.52m | 5:44AM0.39m | 7:51PM0.57m | ||||||||
5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | |
— | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | |
mm | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SSE 19 | ESE 6 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | ENE 6 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | NE 5 | N 5 | E 13 | NE 13 | — | S 19 | S 19 | ESE 12 | SE 11 | ESE 12 |
346 | 73 | 82 | 355 | 235 | 188 | 161 | 116 | 31 | 64 | 56 | 38 | 14 | 4 | 7 | — | 7 | 7 | 239 | 1411 | 1624 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 19 | E 13 | SSE 9 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 | SSE 16 | E 5 | E 10 | SSE 11 | E 6 | E 12 | SSE 10 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | NE 16 | S 19 | S 20 | S 9 |
37 | 14 | 132 | 129 | 65 | 26 | 14 | 2 | 97 | 15 | 3 | 18 | 19 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 28 | 7 | 162 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | E 9 | SSE 18 | E 13 | E 8 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 12 | E 10 | E 11 | E 9 | E 12 | E 14 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 16 | NE 15 | SSE 18 |
16 | 6 | 110 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 9 | 67 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 5 | NNW 3 | N 3 | NNE 5 | NNW 4 | S 6 | S 9 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | S 9 | — |
— | 274 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 2 | 6 | 56 | 18 | 301 | 1961 | 3263 | 3079 | 2620 | 2133 | 1559 | 235 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 264 | 2 | 70 | 334 | 19 | 264 | 1324 | 65 | 221 | 266 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.










