Hat Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it.

The next couple weeks look pretty quiet for Hat Head, to be honest. We’ve got a lot of small, messy onshore days ahead before things finally wake up. Don't get too excited for the next week, it's going to be a grind, a real waiting game.

The Long Wait

Right off the bat, from Tuesday the 1st through to about the 8th, it's mostly poor. We're looking at wind swell and short-period southerly slop mixing with onshore northerly breezes. The wave heights are tiny, mostly under 3ft, and the energy is weak, sitting around the 100-300 mark. There’s a glimmer on the Friday morning, the 4th of September, with some glassy conditions and a clean 2-3ft, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it won't have much push. The swell energy is weak at 76. Honestly, not worth paddling out for. It’s a frustrating stretch with plenty of flat, grovelly days.

The water temp here is sitting at 68.5°F with a small positive anomaly of 1.3°F, so it’s basically about average for this time of year.

The Storm Hits

Just as you’re about to give up, things get properly interesting around the 9th. A storm pushes through, and by the morning of Thursday the 10th, it’s game on. The swell jumps to 14-15ft from the south with a 12-second period, and the energy is massive – 8130. The wind is fresh offshore from the SSW, keeping it clean. This is big and powerful. Bear in mind, at this size, it’s expert territory. The following morning, Friday the 11th, is the standout. The swell maxes out at a huge 19-20ft from the south with a very long 15-second period, and the energy is absolutely pumping – 27610. The wind is a moderate offshore from the SSW, keeping it clean. This is the real deal, a proper groundswell event. The caveat with such a long period at a point like Hat Head is that it might just be too much, but for the crew that knows the spot, this is as good as it gets.

The Drop and the Clean-Up

It eases off after that peak. The Saturday morning, the 12th, still has a solid 8ft of swell from the south with a 10-second period, the energy is down but still strong at 2211, and the offshore wind is holding. This is still an excellent window for experienced surfers. As the day goes on, it drops quickly.

After that big pulse, we go back into a quieter phase. For the rest of the period, we're dealing with dropping swell and mainly onshore winds again. There’s a few small, clean windows—like the Tuesday afternoon, the 15th, with a 4ft easterly and some cross-offshore wind, and the Wednesday morning, the 16th, with a tiny 3ft and a light offshore. But they’re really not going to compare to that big swell.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off, but the 10th through the 12th is where the magic happens. If you can hold out for that big SSW groundswell, it’ll be worth the wait.

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