
Surf Forecasts:
Broken Head surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period, NNE swell with 332 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period with E 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 09) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 1.9m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 9s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Mon 10th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s get straight into it. Looking at the next couple of weeks, we’ve got a bit of a slow start, a punchy middle, and then a proper run of solid, clean groundswell that’ll have the point humming. Don’t get too excited about the immediate forecast, though—this one’s about patience.
The first few days are pretty grim. Sunday the 9th has a bit of 4ft east swell filtering in, with a light cross-onshore breeze, but it’s barely worth suiting up. The energy is weak (211), and it’s just lumpy and uninviting. Monday the 10th sees a jump in size to 6ft, but it’s coming from the NNE with a fresh cross-onshore wind, and the period has dropped to a short 6 seconds. That’s a messy, blown-out combo (425), and the surf quality is poor. We’re looking at a gap of several days here where there’s nothing worth paddling out for. Through Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th, the swell backs right off to 2ft, and while the winds turn cleaner and offshore, the energy is just too weak. It’s tiny, and not a whole lot of push. Thursday the 13th is even smaller, down to 2ft—honestly, that’s a flat spell, and I’d give it a miss.
Now, here’s where things start to shift. Friday the 14th afternoon brings a pulse of 6ft from the SSE with a 10-second period. It’s still a bit raw, and the tide might be messing with it, but the wind is cross-offshore and it cleans up. That’s a hint of what’s coming. The energy jumps to 593, which is a moderate push. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are still messy, with more rain and variable winds, and the swell is inconsistent. Not worth the drive yet. Monday the 17th is a write-off—strong onshore winds and 7ft of short-period slop. That’s kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing. The same goes for Tuesday the 18th; it’s big-ish but cross-shore and lumpy. Just leave it.
Then we hit the real deal. From Wednesday the 19th, the swell starts to organize, and the wind is working with us. By Thursday the 20th, Broken Head (Byron Bay) really turns it on. We’ve got 8ft of ESE groundswell with a 9-second period, light cross-offshore winds, and clean conditions all day. The energy reading is strong (1159 in the morning, 1196 in the afternoon), and the surf quality is rated as excellent for experienced surfers. This is the first true standout. It’s a proper, powerful wave. Because it’s over 8ft, you’d want to be comfortable in bigger surf—this isn’t a beginner’s day. It’s a point break, so it’ll hold that size well, and the direction is right in the optimum zone.
Friday the 21st keeps the quality high. There’s 7ft of east swell with the same light cross-off breeze, and the energy is still strong (1159). Morning conditions are clean and glassy. It’s a touch smaller but still solid, and for me, this is another excellent day. Saturday the 22nd is the pick of the bunch, though. We get a 7ft east swell in the morning, building to 8ft by the afternoon, with a longer 11-second period and a clean light offshore wind. The energy jumps to 1798 in the arvo, which is a serious amount of water moving. This is powerful, well-shaped surf. Again, this is expert territory at that size, but for the crew who charge, this is as good as it gets.
Sunday the 23rd, it’s still pumping. Morning glass is on, with 8ft east swell and a long 12-second period. The energy is massive (1539). It’s clean, glassy, and lined up. The only caveat is that the afternoon wind swings onshore, which could mess with the face, so make the most of the early session. And over a week out, into Monday the 24th, we’ve got 6ft of east groundswell with offshore winds and clean conditions. It’s still very good, but the size is easing.
So, if you can hold off, the window from Thursday the 20th through to Sunday the 23rd is the one. Broken Head (Byron Bay) is the place to be. It’s consistent, it’s a point, and it’s handling this size as good as any spot around. Get on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Mon morning, light winds from the WSW by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | N 6 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
185 | 146 | 119 | 279 | 261 | 108 | 78 | 78 | 87 | 83 | 83 | 60 | 60 | 42 | 43 | 28 | 29 | 238 | 206 | 176 | 249 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:19PM1.64m | 5:40AM0.98m | 6:15PM1.78m | 6:35AM1.05m | 7:05PM1.87m | 7:24AM1.13m | 7:50PM1.91m | 8:08AM1.21m | 8:32PM1.88m | 8:51AM1.27m | 9:11PM1.78m | 9:34AM1.31m | 9:48PM1.64m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:21AM0.20m | 00:14AM0.22m | 11:25AM0.11m | 1:05AM0.11m | 12:20PM0.03m | 1:49AM0.04m | 1:10PM-0.04m | 2:28AM-0.00m | 1:57PM-0.05m | 3:05AM-0.01m | 2:42PM-0.02m | 3:40AM0.01m | 3:26PM0.07m | ||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
— | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 8 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 11 | E 9 | E 9 | S 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 |
185 | 146 | 119 | 120 | 261 | 108 | 40 | 78 | 87 | 83 | 83 | 60 | 82 | 42 | 43 | 694 | 29 | 238 | 206 | 29 | 32 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | S 8 | S 7 | S 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | S 11 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | S 11 | NNE 5 | E 9 | NNE 5 | NNE 7 | ENE 9 | NE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 19 | SSE 18 |
26 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 126 | 103 | 78 | 2 | 26 | 14 | 81 | 14 | 60 | 5 | 5 | 28 | 2 | 29 | 29 | 7 | 31 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SSE 9 | S 8 | E 13 | E 13 | S 13 | — | — | S 9 | SSE 13 | NE 11 | S 9 | NNE 5 | NNE 7 | S 19 | NE 7 | S 17 | SSE 11 | S 20 | S 19 | NE 10 |
11 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 6 | 33 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 43 | 8 | 29 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | N 6 | W 3 | W 3 | W 4 | NNE 6 | W 3 | WSW 3 | NNE 6 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | — | — | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
— | 27 | 86 | 279 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 157 | 549 | 918 | 577 | — | — | 176 | 249 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 437 | 208 | 236 | 20 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 60 |
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)
Latest Updates
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.











