Crescent Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down.

First up, we’re looking at a window that’s pretty quiet to start. Don’t get too excited for Friday afternoon, the 28th of August, because the conditions are poor—cross-onshore wind and a bit of chop. The water temp is sitting at 20°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The real action starts to wake up on Saturday morning, the 29th. We’ve got a clean combo at Crescent Head (Crescent-Head). Swell is around 3 ft coming from the SSE with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind is a nice cross-off from the SSW. That’s a solid window for a paddle. The wave energy is moderate, sitting at 243, so there’s enough push to get some fun rides. The water's feeling neutral, no real temp anomaly to speak of. This is a nice weekend starter.

Sunday morning, the 30th, looks even better. Same clean cross-off wind, a touch more size at 4 ft from the SSE, period around 9 seconds, and the energy bumps up to 390—solid moderate energy. This is one of the better options in the near term. The sets will have a little more grunt. Expect some clean, lined-up waves at this point break.

Monday morning, the 31st, keeps the run going. Again, 4 ft SSE swell, 9 seconds, and light cross-off wind from the SSW. Clean conditions, energy still in the moderate zone (307). This is a consistent little run of mornings that’ll keep a smile on your face. But note, the afternoons get choppy as the wind swings onshore, so get it early.

The surf drops off from Tuesday, the 1st of September, through to the middle of the week. We’re looking at small, weak swell (2 ft to 2 ft) and mostly onshore or cross winds. Not worth rushing out for. There are some clean morning windows, like Wednesday the 2nd, but the swell is tiny, barely 2 ft, and the energy is weak (154). You’ll be scratching for scraps.

There’s a bit of a gap in quality from around the 1st through the 5th of September. By Saturday the 5th, it’s just flat and weak—1 ft and 32 energy. Not worth a second look.

Then we get a flicker of hope on Monday morning, the 7th of September. Glassy conditions with a light NW breeze, and 2 ft from the south at 8 seconds. The energy is low (107), but it’s clean and you could get a few if you’re desperate. A little more optimism on Tuesday morning, the 8th—swell jumps to 6 ft from the SSW, period 8 seconds, clean with a cross-off wind. The energy is strong now, 701. However, that’s getting a bit big for a beginner, but for an experienced surfer, this could be a standout morning. Clean, solid, and punchy.

Wednesday the 9th, another glassy morning. Swell 4 ft SSE, 9 seconds, energy 232. Clean, fun conditions, but nothing massive.

Now, the real long-range standout is brewing for Saturday the 12th of September. We’re looking at a solid 8 ft swell from the SSE, period 8 seconds, with light cross-on wind. The energy is massive—1525—that’s strong to very strong wave energy. This is a big, powerful swell. At that size (over 8 ft), it’s strictly for experts only at this exposed point break. The wind is light, so it’ll be clean, but the power is serious. If you’re a competent surfer, this is the day to circle on the calendar. The crowd profile at Crescent Head can be an issue sometimes, but on a day this size, it might thin out a bit. Still, be prepared for company.

So, the two true standouts in this 16-day run are Tuesday the 8th of September morning (clean, solid 6 ft) and Saturday the 12th of September morning (big, powerful 8 ft for experts only). Get in the water.

Rusty.

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