Surf Forecasts:
Broken Head surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, NE swell with 196 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 7s period. 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 1.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s talk Broken Head in imperial terms.
Water temp’s about 68°F, right on average for this time of year.
We’re lookin’ at a long stretch of not much. From now through Thursday the 28th, it’s mostly small, weak swell with crappy cross-shore winds and poor conditions. Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th are particularly ordinary.
The one moment worth pointin’ your board at is Friday the 28th in the morning. Broken Head is a point break that’s fairly consistent, beginner-friendly, and gets exposed to ENE swell. Early Friday, we get glassy conditions with the wind comin’ from the S at just 3 mph. Swell is 3ft from the SSE, period around 8 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 243. It’s clean, it’s small but fun, and the wave direction matches the break. Just know that crowds are “often”, so it might be a bit busy.
Saturday the 29th morning has another glassy moment with zero wind and 3ft ENE swell, but the energy is weaker (123) and it’s just ordinary. Sunday the 30th morning has clean 3ft E swell with a 10-second period and 260 energy, but cross-off wind from the SSE at 9 mph – surfable but marginal.
From there into September, it’s a wasteland of onshore winds, chop, and tiny swell. The second week is all poor conditions with 15-16 mph onshore breezes. Small waves, choppy, nothin’ for paddle surfers. If you kite surf, those steady 12-16 mph NE winds and waist-high chop might be fun, but for the rest of us, it’s a long dry spell.
Bottom line: the only real shot is Friday morning the 28th at Broken Head. Get it while it’s clean.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 98 | 101 | 75 | 87 | 105 | 108 | 116 | 137 | 90 | 123 | 113 | 71 | 118 | 149 | 157 | 112 | 109 | 96 | 123 | 126 | 131 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:11PM1.35m | 5:23AM0.89m | 5:54PM1.45m | 6:06AM0.97m | 6:31PM1.55m | 6:44AM1.05m | 7:04PM1.62m | 7:18AM1.13m | 7:36PM1.67m | 7:52AM1.21m | 8:08PM1.69m | 8:27AM1.28m | 8:40PM1.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:07AM0.38m | 00:01AM0.41m | 11:04AM0.31m | 00:36AM0.32m | 11:49AM0.23m | 1:08AM0.23m | 12:29PM0.16m | 1:38AM0.16m | 1:06PM0.10m | 2:07AM0.10m | 1:42PM0.07m | 2:36AM0.05m | 2:20PM0.07m | 3:06AM0.03m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 8 | S 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 98 | 101 | 75 | 70 | 105 | 108 | 116 | 137 | 90 | 123 | 9 | 71 | 118 | 149 | 157 | 112 | 109 | 158 | 123 | 126 | 118 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | S 9 | S 11 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 10 | NE 7 | NE 7 | S 11 | S 9 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 8 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 6 | 1 | 88 | 76 | 89 | 104 | 74 | 50 | 32 | 17 | 7 | 44 | 21 | 2 | 39 | 104 | 87 | 96 | 146 | 127 | 131 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 4 | SSE 12 | S 8 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | S 16 | SSE 16 | S 16 | S 15 | NE 13 | S 15 | SE 16 | NE 7 | SSE 12 | NE 7 | S 13 | NE 10 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 3 | 87 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 87 | 19 | 31 | 4 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 2 | S 4 | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | N 4 | — | ENE 7 | S 3 | S 6 | S 6 | SSE 7 | — | — | SE 5 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 40 | — | 113 | 4 | 156 | 119 | 82 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 236 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Broken Head surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest