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Headlands Surf Forecast
/ NSW – Illawarra (42 breaks) / New South Wales (297 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Headlands surfForecast / NSW – Illawarra / Australia
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 9 pm Wednesday 13 May 2026 AESTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Headlands surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Headlands sea temperature is
20.0° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Headlands this week:
The surf forecast for Headlands over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 14) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Headlands in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (May 20) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 14th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 16th May) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Tue 19th May) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Headlands over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wed 20 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
ESE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | |
155 | 94 | 94 | 92 | 123 | 161 | 149 | 77 | 340 | 575 | 505 | 617 | 572 | 484 | 473 | 650 | 786 | 522 | 528 | 721 | 660 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 5:39AM1.26m | 6:14PM1.53m | 6:34AM1.26m | 6:58PM1.64m | 7:29AM1.25m | 7:43PM1.73m | 8:24AM1.21m | 8:30PM1.77m | 9:20AM1.17m | 9:20PM1.77m | 10:17AM1.11m | 10:13PM1.73m | 11:17AM1.07m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:44PM0.30m | 11:47AM0.15m | 00:38AM0.18m | 12:30PM0.15m | 1:31AM0.07m | 1:15PM0.17m | 2:24AM-0.01m | 2:01PM0.20m | 3:18AM-0.05m | 2:50PM0.25m | 4:14AM-0.04m | 3:41PM0.31m | 5:12AM-0.00m | 4:36PM0.37m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | |  |  | |  |  | |  | | |  |  |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — |
 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 4:59 |
3 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
 kJ | 117 | 79 | 94 | 92 | 123 | 161 | 149 | 77 | 340 | 575 | 505 | 617 | 572 | 484 | 473 | 494 | 612 | 522 | 528 | 721 | 660 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 11 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SE 14 | E 8 | S 8 | S 12 | — | S 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 4 | S 4 |
| kJ | 21 | 20 | 57 | 60 | 41 | 26 | 8 | 58 | 5 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 20 | S 12 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 15 | SE 15 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 13 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | 28 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 6 | — | — | — | ENE 8 | NE 8 | — | — | — | S 4 |
| kJ | 155 | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 72 | — | — | — | 650 | 786 | — | — | — | 8 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 105 | 54 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 59 | 88 | 0 | 18 | 54 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Illawarra | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Headlands surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Headlands Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Headlands provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Headlands can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Headlands surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Headlands) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Headlands may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Headlands is 19 km (12 miles) from Wollongong. If you plan a holiday in Illawarra, look for hotels and other accommodation in Wollongong. Wollongong has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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