Broken Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Broken Head. The outlook starts with a pretty solid run of clean, surfable waves from the get-go, before things drop right off into a long flat spell through the middle of the forecast. There’s a big gap from around Tuesday afternoon right through to the following Tuesday morning with no real surf to speak of, but then a powerful late-season groundswell shows up in the second week – definitely one to keep an eye on.

Alright, so we kick off Saturday morning, the 29th of August. The water’s sitting at 69°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year – nothing unusual there. Swell’s coming from the SSE at 4ft, with a period of 10 seconds, giving a moderate combined energy of 378. The wind is a light S cross-off, so the waves will be clean and lined up. It’s a solid start for the weekend.

Saturday afternoon drops a touch, with the swell easing to 3ft from the same direction, though the wind picks up to a moderate SSE cross-off. Still clean, but the score drops off a bit.

Sunday morning, the 30th, the swell bumps up to 6ft from the SSE, period 9 seconds, and combined energy jumps to 647 – moderate but getting some push. Wind is a moderate S cross-off, so it’ll be a bit bumpy but still surfable. Sunday afternoon holds at 5ft, similar conditions.

Monday morning, the 31st of August, is a standout for the first week. Swell’s 5ft from the SSE, 9-second period, with 425 energy. The wind swings to a moderate SSW offshore, giving clean, groomed faces. This is the pick of the early period – a solid head-high wave with proper offshore texture.

Monday afternoon sees the swell drop to 5ft and the wind go cross-off again, but it’s a bit less consistent.

Tuesday morning, the 1st of September, is tiny – 3ft, period 8 seconds, energy down to 199. Wind is light SSW cross-off, so it’s clean but barely worth a paddle. Tuesday afternoon goes onshore, and that’s the end of the first run.

Then we hit a big dry spell. From Wednesday the 2nd through to the following Tuesday morning, the 8th of September, the swell is tiny – between 0.7ft and 2ft – with poor winds and mostly onshore or cross-onshore conditions. The energy is weak, often under 100. There’s a glassy morning on Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th, but with only 1ft to 2ft of swell, it’s barely a ripple. Save your energy.

Now, the real highlight of the entire outlook is Wednesday morning, the 9th of September. This is one for the experienced crew. A big SSE groundswell rolls in at 6ft, with a very long period of 16 seconds. The combined energy hits 1299 – strong, powerful stuff. Wind is light WSW offshore, so the waves will be clean and well-shaped. This is a true groundswell, so at a point break like Broken Head, it’ll set up beautifully. But with that size and power, it’s strictly for the experts. The period is long enough that the sets will be spaced out, making the paddle out easier, but the wave face will have plenty of grunt.

Wednesday afternoon drops to 5ft, period 14 seconds, energy 1024, but the wind goes cross-shore, so it’s a bit more mixed.

Thursday morning, the 10th, has a clean 3ft swell from the SSE with a 14-second period and 363 energy – light offshore wind, so nice and clean for the more moderate crowd.

Friday morning, the 11th of September, is another beauty. Swell’s 5ft from the SSE, 12-second period, energy 663. The wind is glassy – a light easterly, barely a breath. That’ll give you smooth, clean lines. A solid option for the experienced surfer.

Saturday morning, the 12th, sees the swell back to 4ft, 12-second period, but the wind is light cross-shore, so it’s not as clean. After that, the swell fades quickly, and by Sunday afternoon it’s back to tiny, poor conditions.

So, the standout picks are Monday morning, the 31st of August, for the offshore wind and solid 5ft swell, and Wednesday morning, the 9th of September, for the big, long-period groundswell – but that one’s for the advanced crew only. The long gap in between is a bummer, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Rusty.

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