
Surf Forecasts:
Broken Head surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period, SSE swell with 545 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 7s. 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 1.3m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 12s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking over the next couple of weeks for Broken Head.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a flat start. The first surfable waves show up on Thursday morning, August 6th, but it’s nothing to write home about. We’re looking at small 2ft ENE swell with a short 7-second period, and the energy is weak (68). The wind is light offshore from the SW, keeping it clean, but the conditions are pretty ordinary. It’s a beginner-friendly wave, but you won’t be getting wet for anything special.
Friday morning, August 7th, is a similar story – 2ft ENE swell, still short period, still light offshore wind. Clean but small. The afternoon turns a bit cross-onshore, and the quality drops off.
Saturday morning, August 8th, the swell bumps up to 3ft from the ENE, period stretches to 8 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 124. It’s still clean with a light offshore, but it’s nothing that’ll get the heart racing. The afternoon sees a shift to a cross-shore wind and the waves get messy.
The Sunday morning, August 9th, sees a modest 4ft E swell, but the wind swings onshore and it gets choppy. Not your day.
Now, the first real standout in the window is Monday morning, August 10th. We’ve got a 7ft swell from the NNW, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s going to be a bit of a lumpy, windswell affair. The wind is cross-offshore from the W, so it stays clean, but the energy is strong (667). This one is more for the experienced crew – anything over 5ft can be a handful for beginners, and this is well into that zone. The Monday afternoon is a better bet for the average surfer, with a smaller 3ft E swell and a nice 9-second period, clean with a gentle offshore breeze.
Tuesday, August 11th, offers a glassy morning with 3ft E swell, 9-second period. It’s clean, but still small and ordinary.
The next standout to keep an eye on is Wednesday morning, August 12th. The swell lifts to 4ft from the SSE, and the period jumps to 12 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is strong at 647, and the wind is light cross-offshore from the WSW. Expect very good, clean conditions. That period is long enough to shape up nicely at a point break like Broken Head, but it might be a bit too straight for beach breaks.
Friday morning, August 14th, is where things get serious. The swell pumps to 12ft from the SSE, with a moderate 9-second period. The energy is massive at 1989, and the wind is a moderate offshore from the SW. This is excellent surf, but only for experienced surfers – 12ft is not for the faint of heart. The afternoon brings rain showers and a fresh cross-offshore breeze, but the conditions are marginal.
Saturday, August 15th, keeps the big swell going. 10ft from the ESE in the morning, with an 11-second period, and the energy is 2131. Clean, gentle offshore wind. The afternoon sees a slight bump to 12ft, but the wind turns cross-offshore and the rain kicks in. Again, experts only.
Sunday, August 16th, is the biggest day of the outlook. A massive 13ft SSE swell with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is a staggering 8145. The wind is cross-offshore from the S. This is big, powerful, and dangerous – absolutely for experts only. The afternoon is a similar story but with a risk of thunderstorms.
The following week (starting Monday, August 17th) still has solid swell, with 12ft and 10ft days, but the wind is cross-shore and the rain is persistent. The waves are still big, but the quality drops. The conditions are marginal.
The best window in the second week looks like Wednesday, August 19th morning, with a cleaner 5ft SE swell, 9-second period, and a light offshore wind from the SW. The energy is moderate (412). Then Thursday, August 20th morning offers a really nice 6ft ESE swell with a 12-second period, clean offshore wind, and very good conditions. Energy is 835. This is the best bet for a solid, clean session for intermediate surfers.
Friday, August 21st morning is glassy with a 4ft ESE swell, 11-second period. Clean and fun, but not the standout of the window.
Crowds at Broken Head can be a factor – it’s a spot that’s often surfed, so expect company, especially on the cleaner days.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed night, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun night, calm by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 10 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NNW 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
54 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 49 | 69 | 77 | 85 | 185 | 225 | 293 | 246 | 165 | 331 | 130 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 113 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | on | cross |
High Tide | 00:30AM1.17m | 1:43PM1.30m | 1:40AM1.03m | 2:59PM1.38m | 3:07AM0.94m | 4:14PM1.50m | 4:31AM0.93m | 5:19PM1.64m | 5:40AM0.98m | 6:15PM1.78m | 6:35AM1.05m | 7:05PM1.87m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:56AM0.21m | 8:05PM0.49m | 7:57AM0.25m | 9:46PM0.45m | 9:09AM0.25m | 11:11PM0.34m | 10:21AM0.20m | 00:14AM0.22m | 11:25AM0.11m | 1:05AM0.11m | 12:20PM0.03m | 1:49AM0.04m | |||||||
— | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | N 6 | NNE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 11 |
54 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 49 | 69 | 56 | 85 | 185 | 225 | 293 | 246 | 165 | 209 | 68 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 227 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | NE 8 | S 9 | S 8 | E 9 | E 9 | NE 7 | NE 7 | S 13 | E 9 |
11 | 21 | 21 | 28 | 98 | 71 | 77 | 68 | 46 | 42 | 34 | 13 | 5 | 127 | 130 | 19 | 14 | 168 | 113 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | E 13 | N 5 | S 9 | NE 7 | NE 7 |
20 | 17 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 39 | 7 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 12 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 3 | S 7 | S 5 | — | SSW 10 | — | — | SSW 3 | — | — | — | NNE 8 | NNE 5 | NNW 6 | W 3 | WSW 4 | WSW 3 | — | N 7 |
1 | 23 | 12 | — | 77 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 92 | 100 | 331 | 4 | 19 | 1 | — | 26 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 243 | 236 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 236 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











