Crescent Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here with a look at what's coming up for our stretch of coast.

To be straight with you, it's not going to be a classic run. We’ve got a long dry spell on the cards before anything worth getting excited about shows up. Most of the action is small and messy, and the window for truly good waves is narrow. But if you're patient, there is a standout session worth marking on the calendar.

Crescent Head is the only game in town, and for the first few days, it’s a bit of a write-off. Monday the 13th starts with a glassy 2ft S swell, but the wave energy is weak (73). It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. That tiny bump gets wiped out by NE wind in the arvo. Tuesday morning the 14th is clean with a glassy 1ft S swell, but the period is short and the energy is pitiful. Honestly, the whole week from the 13th through the 18th is a grind. We see a jump in swell height around the 15th and 16th, with waves hitting 7ft to 8ft from the S/SSW, and the energy kicks up into the moderate range (736, 1134). But the period stays short and the cross-off winds, while clean, mix with a tricky tide to leave things feeling average. The weekend of the 18th and 19th is similar: plenty of size (7ft to 8ft, ESE direction) and solid energy (peaking at 1570 on the 19th), but the cross-shore winds and chop stop it from being truly clean. It's more of a power session than a grooming day.

Then we hit the real highlight. Monday the 20th of July is your best bet. We get a drop to a cleaner 6ft E swell with a longer 10-second period, pushing moderate energy (623). But the killer detail is the glassy, offshore WSW wind in the morning. The water is a touch above average for the time of year at 68°F. This is the one morning that looks genuinely good and clean. Tuesday the 21st also has another glassy morning with a 4ft E swell, offering a decent backup if you miss the main day.

After that, the second week fades out. The swell drops back under 5ft from the 22nd onwards, with the period shortening up. There are some clean, small mornings, like the 23rd with a 5ft NE swell or the 25th with a 3ft E swell, but the energy is low and they’re just ordinary sessions. By the 28th, we’re down to a glassy 3ft ENE swell with only 99 energy – a flat spell sets in.

So, if you want the one wave to chase, get to Crescent Head early on Monday the 20th for the cleanest, glassiest conditions of the whole forecast. The rest is for the die-hards or the kite surfers when the wind picks up.

Rusty.

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