Hat Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got some solid groundswell pulses coming through, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag with wind. The real standout is a big, clean swell around the 25th, but there’s also a very promising pulse early in August. Let’s get into it.

First up, Hat Head (a point break) is exposed to the southeast, so it grabs a lot of the energy. The water’s sitting at 68°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

We kick off Monday the 20th of July with a solid 8ft swell from the east, period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is really pumping at 1268, that’s a strong push. The wind is a cross-off from the SSE at 9 mph, so it’s clean. This is an excellent wave, but at 8ft, it’s getting solid, so it’s more for experienced surfers. The crowds can be frequent here, so expect company.

Tuesday morning the 21st sees the swell drop to 6ft from the east, still a 10-second period, energy at 665 (moderate). Wind is light from the WSW at 6 mph, cross-off and clean. Very good conditions, but the wave is smaller. The afternoon turns a bit average with a cross-on breeze, so the morning is the pick that day.

Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd are pretty ordinary. Swell drops below 5ft, and the wind is mostly cross-on. The wave energy drops to the 100-300 range, so it’s weak. Not much to get excited about. Friday the 24th brings a shift: 5ft from the south with a short 7-second period, wind off the SSW at 12 mph, so it’s clean and offshore. Energy is moderate at 346. It’s a bit short-period, but the offshore wind will make it fun for a quick session.

Now, here’s the standout. Saturday the 25th of July. We’ve got a 7ft south groundswell, period of 14 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The combined energy explodes to 1628, which is strong. The wind is a light 3 mph cross-off from the west, so it’s glassy clean. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. That long period will wrap nicely into the point at Hat Head, but at beach breaks it might be a bit too straight. For a point like this, it’s a gem. The afternoon is still very good with 5ft and a 13-second period, energy at 861.

Sunday the 26th holds clean surf with 5ft from the south, 12-second period, and light cross-off winds. Energy at 616, still moderate to strong. Good quality waves. Monday the 27th is a drop-off, with 4ft and a 10-second period, but still clean. Tuesday the 28th fades to 2ft, and then Wednesday the 29th is flat.

But hold on. Thursday the 30th of July fires up again. Another big 7ft south swell, period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy hits 1903, that’s very strong. The wind is a light 3 mph cross-off from the west, so it’s clean. Excellent surf for experienced surfers. The afternoon gets a cross-on wind, so the morning is the window.

Friday the 31st through to Saturday the 1st of August offer clean, smaller waves in the 4ft to 5ft range, with moderate energy. Good for a fun surf.

Then, another standout is brewing. Monday the 3rd of August has a 5ft south swell, 11-second period, with a clean offshore wind from the SSW at 6 mph. Energy at 568, very good conditions.

But the big one is Tuesday the 4th of August. We’re looking at a 10ft swell from the SSE, period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 2456. The wind is offshore from the SW at 6 mph, so it’s clean. This is excellent surf, but that’s big – 10ft is expert territory only. The afternoon stays solid at 8ft with energy at 2568. This is a serious swell, so if you’re not an expert, give it a miss.

Overall, the best of the best is Saturday the 25th of July with that long-period groundswell and glassy conditions. The second pick is the big pulse on Tuesday the 4th of August, but that’s for experts only.

Rusty.

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