Broken Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for a while now. Let’s talk about what’s on offer.

Right off the bat, the first week is a bit of a write-off if you’re chasing anything decent. Broken Head has some swell, but it’s mostly short-period, junky stuff with onshore cross-winds locking it up. The real story starts to unfold towards the end of the week, and then the second week has a couple of real gems.

Heading into Wednesday morning, the 19th, things change. The wind drops right out, and you get glassy conditions. Swell is a little smaller at 3 ft from the SSE, but it’s a longer period groundswell at 11 seconds, and the combined swell energy is moderate (422). That’s the kind of dawny that’ll have you smiling. It’s a beginner-friendly point break, so it’s a good chance to get a few clean ones without the crowd stress.

Then Thursday morning, the 20th, is another standout. Again, glassy as a mirror, with a 5 ft SSE swell running. The period has dropped back to 8 seconds, but the energy is still there (273). The offshore wind from the SSE will have the lines holding up nicely. For a point break, that’s a solid session.

The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

After that, the weekend gets a bit average again. Saturday the 22nd has a late arvo window with light SSW offshore winds and a small 4 ft ENE swell, but it’s inconsistent. Not a complete loss, but you’ll be scratching for waves.

Now, the second week gets interesting. The real standout, and I mean the one to circle on the calendar, is Monday morning, the 31st of August. The boss is still a week and a half away, so take it with a pinch of salt, but the models are showing a clean 6 ft ENE swell with a light offshore WSW breeze. The combined energy is moderate (411), and with the wind coming off the land, Broken Head will be clean and peeling. For a point break, that’s a treat.

Just before that, Friday morning, the 28th, is also worth a mention. Light offshore SW wind, a 4 ft SSE groundswell at 10 seconds, and clean conditions. It’s a small but fun morning session.

The 26th of August (Wednesday) has a weird one: a 3 ft SSE swell with a very long period of 18 seconds, but the combined energy is moderate (288). That’s a lot of period for a small wave, and at a point break, it might just organise into something really fun despite the size. The cross-off wind will keep it clean.

A couple of things to note: Broken Head is a beginner-friendly point, fairly consistent, and it can get a crowd, so expect company on the good days. The swell direction is mostly from the SSE to ENE, which suits the break’s optimum ENE direction.

Bottom line: first week is a struggle with a couple of glassy windows. The second week has a couple of proper mornings, especially the 31st. Don’t sleep on that one.

Rusty.

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