Surf Forecasts:
Broken Head surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 17s period, SSE swell with 681 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period with NE 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Broken Head in the next 16 days are 1.1m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Broken Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Broken Head has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. It's a pretty grim run, to be honest. The whole 16-day window is a real mixed bag of small, weak energy and poor conditions, with very little to get excited about.
The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year – nothing unusual there.
We kick things off on Tuesday, August 25th, but there's nothing to ride. Swell sits around 3 ft but it's lumpy and cross-onshore. The energy is weak to moderate (126). It’s a write-off. This continues through Wednesday and Thursday. The swell stays under 4 ft and the wind is either cross or cross-off, keeping it choppy or just ordinary.
Friday morning, August 28th, is the first sign of life. The wind goes glassy out of the SW and the water turns clean. But the swell is tiny, only 2 ft, with weak energy (74). It’s surfable, but you’ll be fighting for knee-high lumps. Not a standout by any stretch. That afternoon, a long period 13-second SSE swell pops in at 1 ft, but the cross-onshore wind ruins it.
The weekend has a bit more size, but it’s not great. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th bring clean, cross-off winds from the S, with the swell bumping up to 6 ft on Sunday morning. The energy is moderate to strong (710), but the quality is still described as marginal. The swell direction is SSE, which is not the ideal ENE direction for the point. It’ll be chunky and a bit messy, but if you’re desperate, Sunday morning is the pick of this period.
The big talking point is Monday, August 31st. The energy is very strong (1000) and the swell period is a very long 19 seconds from the SSE, with 3 ft to 4 ft of swell. This is serious groundswell energy. The caveat here is that a long period swell of 19 seconds at a point break like Broken Head can be fantastic, but it can also break a bit too straight and wonky. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it won't be perfect, but this is the most powerful and interesting swell of the whole outlook. It’s the only real standout, and even then, it's a marginal call.
Sadly, that’s about it. The first week of September is a slow slide into small, weak, and onshore conditions. Tuesday, September 1st, has a glassy morning with a 3 ft SSE swell (energy 342) but the quality is only rated as good for a beginner spot. Wednesday the 2nd has a similar glassy morning. After that, it’s all cross-onshore wind and tiny surf, barely 3 ft with weak energy, right through to the end of the forecast period on September 9th. The energy levels drop right off, often below 100.
The setup for the small, onshore days at a beach and reef break like this means it’s honestly looking more interesting for a kite session than a paddle surf for most of that second week.
So, to sum it up: if you're a patient surfer, keep an eye on Monday the 31st for that big, long-period groundswell. It'll be powerful and offers the only real hope. The rest of the window is about as flat and blown out as it gets. Stay tuned, forecasts change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 20°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 19 | SSE 17 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
125 | 238 | 117 | 118 | 150 | 104 | 85 | 94 | 178 | 60 | 70 | 356 | 260 | 231 | 631 | 637 | 480 | 497 | 495 | 681 | 302 | |
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 | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 6:31PM1.55m | 6:44AM1.05m | 7:04PM1.62m | 7:18AM1.13m | 7:36PM1.67m | 7:52AM1.21m | 8:08PM1.69m | 8:27AM1.28m | 8:40PM1.65m | 9:03AM1.34m | 9:13PM1.58m | 9:41AM1.38m | 9:49PM1.47m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:49AM0.23m | 1:08AM0.23m | 12:29PM0.16m | 1:38AM0.16m | 1:06PM0.10m | 2:07AM0.10m | 1:42PM0.07m | 2:36AM0.05m | 2:20PM0.07m | 3:06AM0.03m | 2:59PM0.10m | 3:36AM0.04m | 3:41PM0.16m | ||||||||
6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | |
— | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | S 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 19 | SE 8 | SSE 10 |
125 | 52 | 117 | 118 | 150 | 104 | 85 | 94 | 178 | 203 | 160 | 356 | 260 | 231 | 58 | 61 | 61 | 40 | 495 | 281 | 302 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SE 5 | S 10 | N 5 | S 10 | S 16 | NNE 6 | S 15 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 11 | NE 10 | N 7 | SSE 21 | E 9 | SSE 17 | E 11 |
52 | 1 | 17 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 107 | 60 | 67 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 39 | 681 | 83 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | S 18 | S 16 | S 10 | SSE 16 | NE 13 | S 11 | NE 9 | SSE 16 | NE 7 | SSE 13 | NNE 7 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 15 | N 9 | NE 13 | NE 13 | ENE 9 | SSE 16 |
1 | 6 | 20 | 8 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 14 | 70 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 146 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 8 | N 4 | — | — | SSE 4 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | SE 4 | S 5 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | — | — |
— | 238 | 40 | — | — | 13 | 86 | 66 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 59 | 631 | 637 | 480 | 497 | 459 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 236 | 21 | 2 | 84 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 60 | 0 | 20 | 84 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











