Elliott Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for Elliott Heads, and I’ve got to be straight with you: it’s a pretty bleak stretch. This is a quiet reef setup that’s inconsistent at the best of times, and over this 16-day window, there’s not a single session calling my name. We’re looking at a long, flat gap with no recommendations at all.

The outlook kicks off on Monday the 17th of August. From the get-go, we’ve got a small, gutless east swell around 4 ft with a period of just 5 seconds. The energy is weak (67), and with a steady 16 mph ESE cross-onshore wind, the water’s going to be chopped up and messy. That trend sticks through Tuesday and Wednesday. By Wednesday morning, the swell’s still only 3 ft, but the period bumps to 7 seconds, and the energy climbs to a moderate 111. Still, the wind is cross-onshore from the SE at 12 mph, keeping it choppy. Water temp is sitting at 67°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.

Thursday the 20th drops off to 2 ft of short-period mush, and the weekend doesn’t get any better. Saturday the 22nd is particularly weak—2 ft of swell, period at 7 seconds, energy at a pathetic 45. The winds lighten up to 6 mph, but it’s still cross-onshore, so you’ll get some tiny wind ripples. There’s a slight tease on Sunday the 23rd with a bump to 4 ft and energy hitting 133, but the period stays short at 8 seconds, and the SE breeze is still cross-on. It’s a total write-off.

Into the second week, it just gets flatter. By Monday the 24th, the swell’s back to 3 ft, and the wind shifts to a light north cross-shore, which at least cleans it up a bit. Tuesday the 25th sees the best wind of the whole run—light SW cross-off at 9 mph keeping it glassy—but the swell is a paltry 2 ft with energy down to 34. It’s clean, but you’d be fighting for a ripple. After that, it’s all downhill: from Wednesday the 26th through to Tuesday the 1st of September, the swell never breaks 2 ft, the energy stays below 42, and the wind is mostly a fresh to moderate cross-onshore chop. For a spot that’s already inconsistent, this is a dead run.

Elliott Heads is a beginner-friendly reef, but with these tiny swells and onshore winds, even a learner wouldn’t have fun. Honestly, if you’re desperate for something, the only sliver of hope is Tuesday the 25th with that clean cross-off wind, but you’d need a longboard and low expectations. Otherwise, keep the board in the car. Conditions like this are normal for the area when it blanks out, so don’t stress—forecasts can change.

– Rusty

Read more