Broken Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's take a look at what's coming down the line in the next couple of weeks.

The surf's pretty quiet to start, but if you're patient, a big pulse of energy is heading our way. It's a story of two halves: a slow start with small clean waves, then a real surge of strong, but wind-affected, southeast swell that could be a handful.

The first window of proper surf kicks off on the morning of Sunday, July 12th. The morning session at Broken Head looks like the pick early on. It's a point break, exposed and picking up a clean 4 ft south-east swell. That swell is pushing moderate energy (251), and with a light WNW breeze, the wind is cross-offshore, keeping the surface glassy. The water temp is 69°, which is just about normal for this time of year. The crowds here can be *often*, but for a 4 ft, clean Sunday morning, it'll be worth sharing the takeoff zone. The swell direction is coming from the SE, not quite the ideal ENE, but the clean conditions will make up for it.

By the afternoon on Sunday, the swell backs off to 3 ft and the wind goes cross-shore, making it less appealing.

Monday the 13th offers more small stuff. Morning has a tiny 2 ft SE swell with a light offshore SW wind, making it glassy, but the energy is weak (59) and it's ankle to knee high. It's surfable if you're keen for a longboard, but nothing to write home about.

The middle of the week is flat or near-flat. Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th have swell heights below 1.0 ft and combined energy barely into double digits. It's a do-nothing period. That dry spell stretches for a few days.

Things start to ramp up seriously on Thursday, July 16th. The afternoon energy jumps to a massive 15 ft SSE swell, with combined energy at a whopping 3887 – that's very strong. But don't get too excited just yet. The wind is howling from the south at 28 mph, cross-offshore but strong enough to make it a battle. The score is cautious, and with that size and power, this is for experienced surfers only. A point break like Broken Head can handle a big swell, but that wind will be challenging. This setup might look more interesting for the kite crew than paddle surfers, to be honest.

Friday, July 17th sees the swell drop to 10 ft in the morning and 12 ft in the afternoon, still with strong SSE wind and rough conditions. The wave energy remains very high (1698 to 1667), so still big and raw.

Now, the standout window arrives on Saturday, July 18th. The morning is still big and windy with a 15 ft SE swell and moderate energy (3861), but by the afternoon, it all comes together. The swell holds at 18 ft from the SE, the period stretches to 12 seconds, and combined energy is 7326 – that's very strong, groundswell territory. The wind, while still cross-off from the SSE, drops to 19 mph. The conditions are marked as clean and the score is much more positive. This is a big, powerful swell at a point break. For experienced surfers who know the spot, this afternoon could be the best on offer in the whole run. The long period means the sets will be well-spaced and the waves will have real weight. This is a standout, but a serious one.

Sunday, July 19th stays solid, with 12 ft ESE swells, but the wind is still up and the energy is high. It's still big, just not as clean as Saturday afternoon.

The next highlight is Monday, July 20th. The swell drops to a more manageable 8 ft in the morning and 8 ft in the afternoon, from the ESE. The wind is lighter, and the descriptions say *excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers*. This is your call if the weekend was too heavy. The energy is still strong but not insane.

After that, the swell continues to fade through the second week, with a few mornings offering clean, surfable conditions. Tuesday, July 21st morning has a 6 ft ESE swell with a glassy offshore SW wind – that's a nice, clean, mid-range option. Wednesday, July 22nd and Thursday, July 23rd also have clean mornings with offshore wind and swell around 4 ft to 3 ft.

Through the final days, the swell drops off significantly, with a small bump of 6 ft from the SSE on Sunday, July 26th afternoon, but it comes with a 16 mph wind and a short 8-second period. The run ends with small, clean but weak surf into Monday, July 27th.

To sum it up, the best bet for clean, powerful surf is the afternoon of Saturday, July 18th at Broken Head, but only for the crew with plenty of experience in big waves. For a more user-friendly but still solid session, Monday, July 20th and Tuesday, July 21st mornings look excellent with cleaner conditions and manageable size.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty.

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