Hat Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and we’re looking at a pretty mixed bag on offer at Hat Head over the next couple of weeks. There’s some decent clean surf to be found, especially for a beginner-friendly spot like this, but you’ll have to pick your windows carefully, and there are plenty of days that are straight-up write-offs. The water temp is sitting around 69°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year.

For this Saturday, the 29th of August, the morning is the pick of the weekend. We’ve got a 4ft swell rolling in from the SSE with a 10-second period, and a light SSW offshore breeze. It’s clean, glassy, and the combined swell energy is moderate (348). It’s not huge, but it’ll be fun and user-friendly. The afternoon sees the wind swing more cross-off and the swell bumps up to 5ft, but the conditions aren’t quite as clean – it’s a bit marginal.

Sunday the 30th is a similar story, with a smaller 3ft SSE swell holding through the day. The morning has that same sweet offshore wind from the SSW, making for clean, gentle waves. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-off breeze. Both sessions have moderate swell energy in the high 300s to low 400s. Not a standout day, but good for a paddle.

Monday the 31st serves up a bit more punch. The morning brings 4ft from the S with a 9-second period, light offshore SSW breeze, and swell energy ramping up to a solid 489. The afternoon has 4ft from the S with an 8-second period, still with light cross-off winds and moderate energy. Clean conditions all day, and the morning in particular is worth a look.

Then we hit a rough patch. From Tuesday the 1st of September right through to Friday the 4th, the surf turns poor. The wind goes onshore or cross-onshore, the swell drops away, and the energy readings tumble below 200. There’s nothing worth waxing up for. Friday the 4th morning has a tiny 2ft S swell with a light cross-off breeze, but it’s so small you’d be fighting for scraps.

Saturday the 5th of September is even worse – a tiny 1ft S swell, then a jumpy 3ft from the NNE with a pitiful 4-second period in the afternoon. Forget about it.

Things start to look up again on Sunday the 6th. The morning session is a winner: 4ft from the S with an 8-second period, light cross-off SSE wind, and moderate energy at 230. Clean and rideable. The afternoon, however, gets messy with a 4ft S swell but a 12-second period and onshore NE wind that kicks up a chop.

Monday the 7th of September has a stiff W cross-off breeze and a small 3ft S swell – marginal at best. Tuesday the 8th sees a 5ft NE swell with a W cross-off wind, but the period is only 8 seconds, so it’s a bit lumpy and again just marginal.

Now, here’s the real standout of the entire outlook. Wednesday the 9th of September. The morning is firing: a solid 8ft S swell with a 10-second period, rocking a combined swell energy of 1895 – that’s strong wave energy. On top of that, we’ve got offshore winds from the SSW at 16 mph. This is excellent surf, but only for experienced surfers – it’ll be too big for the groms. The afternoon drops to 7ft, still moderate offshore from the S, and energy at 880. It’s the best run of swell we’ve got.

Thursday the 10th remains clean in the morning with a 5ft S swell and light offshore winds – a good follow-up to Wednesday. The afternoon gets a bit choppy.

Friday the 11th of September morning is glassy with a 4ft S swell, making for a lovely, smooth session, even if it’s not big. The afternoon has a longer 14-second period S swell at 4ft, but the cross-onshore wind messes it up.

The final weekend, Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th, is a write-off again with onshore winds and weak, messy surf.

Bottom line: get out there this Saturday morning (29th), Sunday morning (30th), and Monday morning (31st) for some clean, easy waves. But the true bullseye is Wednesday the 9th of September for the experienced crew – that’s a day to clear your schedule. There’s also a sprinkle of promise on Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th morning, but after that, it’s time to put the board away for a bit.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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