Crescent Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking at a solid run of surf on the way for Crescent Head. It’s a bit of a slow start, but once we get into the middle of next week, there’s some proper groundswell lining up. The water’s sitting at 68°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real chance to get wet is Saturday morning, 11 July. Crescent Head is showing a clean 3ft ESE swell, with a long 12-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy (418). The wind is light and cross-off from the NW, so the point will be looking clean. It’s a beginner-friendly wave at this size, and a spot like this with a bit of length to the ride is a good way to ease into the weekend. Expect some company though – crowds are sometimes an issue here.

Sunday morning, 12 July, the swell drops a touch to 4ft from the SE, period 10 seconds, with a clean offshore wind from the W. The energy is moderate (225), and the waves will be clean and rideable. A solid option for a Sunday morning session.

Now, Monday 13 July is a bit of a write-off – small 2ft S swell with short 8-second period (69). The wind is okay in the morning, but the waves are ordinary. The surf tails off through Tuesday as well, with barely a ripple.

Then things start to ramp up. Wednesday 15 July afternoon, the swell jumps to 12ft from the S, period 9 seconds. That’s a massive amount of energy (2502) – only for experienced surfers at this size, and the cross-off wind will keep it a bit cleaner. But that’s a heavy, powerful wave and the short period means it’ll be dumping. This is more of a look-and-think session than a paddle-out for most.

Thursday 16 July through to Saturday 18 July, we’ve got a solid run of 8ft to 10ft SSE/SE swell, with periods around 8 to 10 seconds. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, so the surf will be a bit messy but still holding plenty of energy. Saturday 18 July afternoon is the standout in this window – 8ft ESE swell, period 10 seconds, with a clean cross-off breeze. The wave energy is 1091, and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is the best of the first week.

Sunday 19 July morning is still solid – 7ft ESE swell, 10-second period, light cross-off wind, and 912 energy. It’s a good session, but not quite the peak of Saturday.

After that, the swell slowly drops through the week. Monday 20 July has a clean 5ft E swell, but by Monday afternoon the wind turns onshore and it gets ordinary. Tuesday 21 July is a bit of a mixed bag.

Now, the real standout of the whole 16-day outlook lands on Wednesday 22 July morning. The wind is glassy from the WNW, the swell is 4ft from the ESE with an 11-second period – that’s long, clean groundswell (852). The point will be running smooth, with barely a breath of wind. This is a special morning for Crescent Head, no doubt about it. The Wednesday afternoon gets a bit choppy with onshore wind, so get in early.

Thursday 23 July is another cracker for experienced surfers. The morning has 7ft SSE swell, 12-second period (1414), with a clean cross-off wind. The afternoon is even better – 8ft SSE swell, 11-second period, and glassy conditions (2554). That’s a serious push of energy, clean and powerful. Only for the experienced crew.

Friday 24 July drops back to 5ft SSE swell, still clean in the morning, and the surf slowly fades into the following weekend. The last notable session is Sunday 26 July morning – 6ft S swell, 9-second period, with glassy conditions (812). A clean, fun morning to wrap things up.

Overall, the best on offer is Wednesday 22 July morning for the clean, glassy long-period groundswell, and Thursday 23 July for the powerful, clean conditions for experienced surfers. The first few days are a slow start, but once the swell kicks in from Wednesday 15 July, it’s game on.

Rusty.

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