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Headlands Surf Forecast
/ NSW – Illawarra (42 breaks) / New South Wales (297 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Headlands surfForecast / NSW – Illawarra / Australia
12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 3 am Thursday 18 Sep 2025 AEST
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Headlands this week:
The surf forecast for Headlands over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 18) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Headlands in the next 12 days are 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 23) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Friday (Sep 19) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Thu 18th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Tue 23rd Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Tue 23rd Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Headlands over the next 12 days.
Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 3-6 Weather Summary Some drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Sun night, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | Saturday 20 | Sunday 21 | Monday 22 | Tuesday 23 | Wednesday 24 | |||||||||||||||
| AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Rating (10 max) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
| Wave Height (m) & direction (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Period(s) (?) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
Wave (?)Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ (?) | 324 | 131 | 50 | 94 | 85 | 66 | 58 | 32 | 295 | 89 | 58 | 77 | 73 | 31 | 1090 | 1738 | 805 | 465 | 253 | 245 | 299 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy | cross- off | on | cross- off | cross | cross- off | cross | off | off | off | cross- off | off | cross- off | cross- off | off | cross- off | cross- off | cross- off | off | off | cross- on | cross- off |
High Tide / height (m) | 5:48PM 1.48 | 6:36AM 1.14 | 6:34PM 1.49 | 7:13AM 1.22 | 7:14PM 1.47 | 7:47AM 1.29 | 7:52PM 1.44 | 8:18AM 1.35 | 8:27PM 1.38 | 8:49AM 1.39 | 9:03PM 1.30 | 9:21AM 1.40 | 9:38PM 1.21 | ||||||||
Low Tide / height (m) | 11:24AM 0.41 | 12:32AM 0.17 | 12:15PM 0.35 | 1:08AM 0.15 | 1:00PM 0.29 | 1:40AM 0.15 | 1:42PM 0.25 | 2:09AM 0.16 | 2:21PM 0.23 | 2:38AM 0.19 | 3:00PM 0.23 | 3:05AM 0.24 | 3:38PM 0.25 | 3:33AM 0.30 | |||||||
Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | Saturday 20 | Sunday 21 | Monday 22 | Tuesday 23 | Wednesday 24 | |||||||||||||||
| Sunrise | 5:52 | - | - | 5:50 | - | - | 5:48 | - | - | 5:48 | - | - | 5:47 | - | - | 5:45 | - | - | 5:43 | - | - |
| Sunset | - | 5:49 | - | - | 5:49 | - | - | 5:50 | - | - | 5:51 | - | - | 5:51 | - | - | 5:52 | - | - | 5:52 | - |
 |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
Rain (mm) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Temp. °C | 17 | 17 | 14 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 19 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 13 |
| Feels °C (?) | 16 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Recent Eyeball Surf Reports for NSW - Illawarra
Still cross-shore at Headlands (light winds from the SE at FlyStanwell 5 km from Headlands). 1.4m 11s groundswell from the S with a 0.5m 7s swell from the NE and a 0.3m 11s groundswell from the E. 3 swells combining to make bigger set waves.
Actual: 55 min ago
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 12 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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