Broken Head Surf Break

Lat Long: 28.71° S 153.62° E

Broken Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 am 16 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Broken Head sea temperature is
20.7°C
0.4° 

Broken Head surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Broken Head surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 4,030 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s 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 Thursday (Sep 17) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Broken Head in the next 16 days are 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 11s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Thu 17th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 11s
Best Surf 7AM (Thu 17th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 11s
Most Powerful 1AM (Thu 17th Sep)15ft (4.5m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Righto, let’s have a look at Broken Head. The next couple of weeks start messy, but there are a couple of windows where it’ll be worth getting wet.

The first few days are all over the shop. Wednesday starts small and junky, but that afternoon the swell jumps right up – we’re talking 10ft of short-period SSE slop with a fresh cross-offshore breeze. It’s powerful, but messy, and Thursday morning pushes 12ft with a 10-second period. The energy is huge – combined energy readings are up around 2536 – but these are fat, lumpy waves, not clean lined-up ones. It’s more of a washing machine than a point break, so unless you’re a glutton for punishment, sit this one out.

Then Friday morning, things switch. The swell drops to a more manageable 6ft, still from the SSE, but the wind swings light offshore from the SSW. That’s the green light. The water’s sitting at 69°, which is about normal for this time of year. Wave energy is a solid 581 – moderate, but plenty to push you along. This is the first real standout. Broken Head (Byron Bay) will have some proper shape to it, clean faces and a bit of punch. Bigger-than-average, but not out of control.

Saturday morning is a bit of a tease. The swell is down to 3ft, but it’s glassy as – light N wind, clean as a whistle. The energy’s weak (206), so it’ll be small, but if you’re after a cruisy longboard session with zero crowd hassle, this is it. Afternoon though, it fades right out.

The swell nearly dies on Sunday, and Monday is small too, though the morning has a bit of glass on it with 2ft from a very long 18-second period. That’s proper groundswell, but it’s breaking pretty straight at the beach, so don’t expect much of a drive.

Then we hit a lull. Tuesday and Wednesday are pretty ordinary, poor conditions, no real push. The next thing of note is Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th – the swell picks back up to 7-8ft, but it’s short-period (8 seconds) and there’s a chance of thunderstorms. Cross-shore winds will chop it up. Not great. The energy is high (1433 on Thursday arvo), but that just means a lot of messy water. It’s that classic “looks big, but ugly” deal.

From the 25th onwards, it’s a bit of a downward slide with a couple of sneaky pulses. Friday the 25th morning has 5ft of short E swell, but it’s cross-onshore, so it’ll be bumpy. Saturday is similar, weaker. Then Sunday the 27th pushes back up to 6ft around dawn, but the ENE cross-onshore breeze will make it choppy. Poor surf conditions all round.

Looking further out into the first week of October – the 28th and 29th – we’ve got 7ft and 5ft of ENE windswell, but with onshore winds. It’s gonna be a mess. The energy is moderate (707), but the quality is not there. There is a morning on the 30th with 5ft ENE and a light cross-on wind, but it’s marginal at best.

So, the honest rundown: the standout window is Friday morning the 18th – that’s your best shot for a proper surf, clean, a decent size, and the conditions lining up. Saturday morning is the backup if you want smaller, cleaner waves. After that, the forecast is a lot of choppy, cross-onshore junk, so you’ll be waiting for the next weather system to clean things up. A couple of possibilities in the second week, but fading confidence.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Wed night, light winds from the NW by Fri night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
Sunday
20
Monday
21
Tuesday
22
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
2
3
2
2
4
3
0
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
NE
6
3
SSE
8
4.5
SSE
10
3.5
SSE
10
3
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
1.8
SSE
9
1.7
SSE
9
1.1
SE
8
1
SE
9
0.4
SSE
17
0.4
SSE
16
0.4
SE
8
0.2
SSE
17
0.5
SSE
19
0.6
SSE
18
0.4
SSE
17
0.3
SSE
15
0.4
SSE
13
0.7
SSE
12
1.5
SSE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
16
1282
4030
2529
1810
1172
573
435
145
149
95
81
20
29
212
254
117
45
66
150
215
Wind (km/h)
30
S
35
SSE
35
SSW
25
S
30
S
15
S
10
SSW
10
ENE
10
NW
5
N
10
NE
10
WSW
5
ESE
20
NE
15
NNW
5
N
20
NNE
15
NNW
10
SSE
25
SSE
20
SSE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross
glassy
on
off
glassy
on
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
11:03AM1.36m
10:58PM1.00m
11:54AM1.29m
11:46PM0.89m
12:58PM1.22m
1:01AM0.81m
2:17PM1.20m
2:42AM0.79m
3:31PM1.25m
4:02AM0.85m
4:28PM1.33m
4:55AM0.93m
5:12PM1.42m
Low Tide
5:24PM0.43m
4:59AM0.30m
6:26PM0.52m
5:44AM0.39m
7:51PM0.57m
6:49AM0.45m
9:27PM0.54m
8:16AM0.47m
10:34PM0.47m
9:34AM0.43m
11:17PM0.37m
10:32AM0.36m
11:52PM0.28m
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:43
5:41
5:41
5:39
5:37
5:37
5:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:37
5:37
5:38
5:38
5:39
5:39
5:40
 mm
2
2
1
3
5
Temp °C
18
18
17
17
18
17
19
18
17
23
21
19
22
21
19
25
23
19
20
19
19
Feels °C
13
11
9
12
12
13
17
16
16
21
19
19
21
18
16
23
21
18
20
16
17
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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