Broken Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Broken Head. Honestly, it’s a pretty lean run for the next week or so. We’ve got small, chopped-up energy and onshore winds making a mess of things. There’s a few mornings where it cleans up, but the swell just isn’t there to back it up. The water’s sitting at 69°F, which is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

The first real flicker of hope shows up on Thursday morning, the 4th of September. We’ve got a clean, cross-off breeze from the south at 9 mph, and while the swell is only 3ft from the NNE with a short 6-second period, it’s at least surfable. The combined energy is weak (79). It’s not a standout, but it’s something to wet the line. The next morning, Sunday the 6th, is a repeat—clean conditions again with a south wind, but the same small, weak swell. It’s a tease.

Then we hit a bit of a gap. The next few days are pretty average with onshore winds and poor surf, until things start to get interesting around the 11th of September. Friday morning, the 11th, sees a massive jump in energy. The swell is 4ft from the SSE, but with a very long period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is strong (1340). The wind is a clean cross-off from the SSE at 12 mph. This is a proper groundswell, and at a point break like Broken Head, that long period should wrap in nicely. The afternoon gets bigger, with 7ft from the SSE, same direction, and a 15-second period. That’s a lot of water moving, and combined energy is very strong (1952). For the average surfer, that 7ft might be a bit much, so it’s one for the experienced crew.

But the real standout is Saturday morning, the 12th. The swell drops a touch to 5ft from the SSE, still with a solid 11-second period, and the combined energy is strong (572). The wind is light from the SSE at 6 mph, giving us clean, cross-off conditions. The “expect very good surf conditions” comment says it all. This is the best on offer by a long shot. The swell direction (SSE) is a good match for the optimum ENE direction, so it should be working well. Keep in mind, crowds are often here, so get there early.

After that, the swell fades back into the ordinary, small stuff. The 13th has a clean morning, but it’s back to 3ft, and then it’s mostly poor again through the second week.

So, for the whole 16 days, the only true standouts are the 11th and 12th of September. The 11th is for the experts wanting that big, long-period energy, and the 12th is the pick for everyone else. It’s a waiting game, but it’s worth it.

Rusty.

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