Hat Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up at Hat Head over the next couple weeks. The opening days are clean but small, then a big pulse of south swell rolls in mid-week, and there’s a real beauty waiting at the very end of the month. Let’s walk through it.

First up, Sunday the 16th kicks off with light rain and a gentle offshore breeze from the south, pushing in a 5ft southerly swell at a short 7 seconds. It’s not gonna light the world on fire – combined energy is only 329 (weak) – but it’s clean and rideable for beginners. By Monday morning the 17th, the wind backs off to a slight air, the swell shifts a bit east-southeast at 5ft, and the energy climbs to 575 (moderate). That’s the pick of the early days: clean, small, and fun on a point break that’s inconsistent but often crowded, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

Tuesday the 18th stays similar but the wind turns cross-shore by afternoon, making it a bit junky. Wednesday the 19th, though, we get a glassy morning with a 5ft south-east swell and period stretching to 10 seconds – that’s a touch of groundswell energy, 485 (moderate). The rain showers won’t bother you, and the calm wind means really clean conditions. Hat Head is exposed to the swell, and the optimum direction is south-east, so this lines up nicely for a fun session, though the inconsistency means you’ll have to wait for the sets.

Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are write-offs: onshore northerly winds and tiny, weak swell – energy drops to 146 and 134 (weak). Not worth paddling out. Saturday the 22nd morning goes glassy again with a 4ft east-northeast swell, but the energy is still low (195, weak) and the wave comment says “very ordinary conditions.” A bit of a lull.

Now, here’s where it gets exciting. Sunday the 23rd: hold onto your board. A solid 10ft southerly swell hits, period around 9 seconds, and the combined energy roars to 1798 (strong). Morning winds are a light offshore from the south – clean as a whistle. That is excellent surf, but at 10ft it’s for experienced surfers only. This is the standout of the first week, no question. The afternoon gets a cross-onshore breeze and the swell stays big (10ft, 10 secs, 1416 energy) but the wind messes with the shape.

Monday the 24th turns onshore again – big northerly winds, 5ft swell, poor. Tuesday the 25th cleans up with a light cross-offshore westerly, but the swell drops to 3ft and energy’s just 233 (weak). It’s surfable but nothing special.

Then, Tuesday the 26th: another gem. A long-period southerly groundswell – 5ft at a staggering 16 seconds – and the energy is 1305 (strong). Morning winds are clean and cross-offshore from the west. That’s a gorgeous combination, but the very long period (over 15 seconds) means those waves might stand up a bit straight on a beach break; at a point break like Hat Head, it could be absolutely lined-up perfection. This is for experienced surfers again due to the power, but it’s serious quality. The afternoon builds to 6ft (14 sec period, 1336 energy) but the wind picks up to 25 km/h, making it a bit tricky.

From Wednesday the 27th through Friday the 28th, the swell settles back to 4ft to 4ft, steady south–south-east direction, and clean cross-offshore winds – fun small-wave conditions with moderate energy around 243–489. A nice run of clean, ordinary surf. Saturday the 29th turns poor with short-period northerly slop. Sunday the 30th afternoon goes glassy again with a 5ft north-east swell – energy 288 (weak), but glassy means clean, so a quiet little session might be on.

Finally, Monday the 31st: a parting gift. A 5ft east-northeast swell at 8 seconds, 399 energy (moderate), with a light offshore breeze from the south-southwest in the morning. Clean, fun, and a nice way to close out the month.

Overall, the absolute standouts are Sunday the 23rd morning for the big clean south swell (10ft, south, offshore wind) and Tuesday the 26th morning for the long-period southerly groundswell (5ft, 16 secs, clean cross-offshore). Both are for experienced surfers. The rest of the window has plenty of clean small days to keep the beginner and log crew happy, with a few rough days in between.

The water temperature is about average for this time of year – no weird anomalies to worry about.

Stay stoked.

Rusty

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