Hat Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks down at Hat Head.

We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up, but there’s a solid window of clean, punchy surf to kick things off, then a long quiet spell, before a raw, powerful pulse arrives for the more experienced crew. The water temp is running about average for this time of year, nothing too wild.

So, the best bet on offer is the Thursday morning to Friday afternoon stretch. Thursday morning (July 9) sees a solid 7 ft swell from the SSE, with a 10-second period, and a gentle offshore wind from the SSW. The wave energy is strong at 1074, and conditions are clean as a whistle. This is a proper little session for experienced surfers – the size pushes it past beginner territory, but the quality is excellent. Thursday afternoon holds similar size (7 ft) and keeps that clean look with a light offshore breeze, though energy drops a touch to 921. Friday morning (July 10) is still very good, with 7 ft from the SSE and a light offshore. Crowds are likely at this point, as it’s a well-known spot, but the consistency is only “inconsistent” so you’ll want to be picky about your bank.

Friday afternoon starts to ease back a touch to 6 ft, but the wind swings cross-offshore from the SSE, keeping things ridable. The energy is still decent at 853. This is the end of the good run.

After that, we hit a long, quiet stretch. Saturday morning (July 11) drops to 5 ft with a cross-shore wind, and it’s only marginal. Saturday afternoon turns onshore and messy. From Sunday (July 12) through to the middle of the following week, we have days and days of poor to marginal conditions with tiny swell – nothing worth paddling out for until the end of the week.

But hold on – the big news comes in the second week. Thursday morning (July 16) sees a massive spike: 10 ft swell from the S, with a 10-second period. The energy is enormous at 1905. However, the winds are strong and cross-offshore at 35 km/h, making it a real handful. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a challenging, raw ocean. Thursday afternoon keeps the 10 ft size with a fresh offshore from the SSW and 1916 energy – powerful but very clean. Even so, the strength of the wind makes paddling hard. Friday (July 17) holds overhead waves (8 ft) but with even stronger winds (40 km/h). It’s clean, but borderline unsurfable for most.

For the regular surfer, that first Thursday to Friday is the clear standout. If you’re an expert looking for a heavy session, the big pulse on the 16th and 17th is where the drama is, but it comes with a major wind caveat.

Rusty.

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