Nazare Big Wave Challenge Gets Yellow Alert, Could Run Saturday in Giant Waves
70-foot plus waves predicted for Portuguese big wave tow surfing competition.
- Forecast
- Maps
- Live
- Weather State
- Spot Information
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 10 am Wednesday 17 Dec 2025 AEDTForecast 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
22.1° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)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 (Dec 18) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.7m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s is also forecast. 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 2.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Dec 23) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Dec 22) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 18th Dec) | 7ft (2.1m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Thu 18th Dec) | 7ft (2.1m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 23rd Dec) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Headlands over the next 12 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 30°C on Thu afternoon, min 17°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Warm (max 32°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 17 | Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | Saturday 20 | Sunday 21 | Monday 22 | Tuesday 23 | |||||||||||||||
| 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) (?) | 11 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
Wave (?)Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ (?) | 303 | 189 | 132 | 75 | 224 | 381 | 160 | 104 | 50 | 59 | 148 | 70 | 59 | 115 | 158 | 77 | 96 | 588 | 277 | 151 | 303 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy | cross- on | cross- on | cross | cross- on | cross- on | cross- off | cross- on | cross- off | cross- off | cross- off | on | off | cross- on | cross | cross- off | cross- on | cross- on | on | cross- on | on | off |
High Tide / height (m) | 7:44PM 0.97 | 7:47AM 1.48 | 8:27PM 0.99 | 8:24AM 1.52 | 9:08PM 1.00 | 9:02AM 1.54 | 9:47PM 1.00 | 9:40AM 1.56 | 10:27PM 1.00 | 10:17AM 1.55 | 11:07PM 1.01 | 10:55AM 1.53 | 11:49PM 1.02 | ||||||||
Low Tide / height (m) | 1:58PM 0.30 | 1:09AM 0.40 | 2:38PM 0.25 | 1:49AM 0.40 | 3:16PM 0.21 | 2:28AM 0.39 | 3:55PM 0.18 | 3:06AM 0.39 | 4:33PM 0.17 | 3:45AM 0.40 | 5:11PM 0.17 | 4:24AM 0.41 | 5:49PM 0.17 | ||||||||
Wednesday 17 | Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | Saturday 20 | Sunday 21 | Monday 22 | Tuesday 23 | |||||||||||||||
| Sunrise | 5:37 | - | - | 5:39 | - | - | 5:39 | - | - | 5:39 | - | - | 5:39 | - | - | 5:39 | - | - | 5:41 | - | - |
| Sunset | - | 8:04 | - | - | 8:05 | - | - | 8:06 | - | - | 8:06 | - | - | 8:07 | - | - | 8:07 | - | - | 8:07 | - |
 |  |  | | | | | |  |  |  | | |  |  | | |  | | | | |
Rain (mm) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Temp. °C | 23 | 24 | 19 | 29 | 30 | 24 | 30 | 26 | 22 | 24 | 29 | 23 | 30 | 32 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 21 |
| Feels °C (?) | 21 | 21 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 32 | 28 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 31 | 33 | 27 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 21 |
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
Buy Less, Surf More This Black Friday
Surf-forecast is providing a free, all-access pass to our premium features and 12-day forecasts all weekend.
Quiksilver Teams Up With PrimaLoft® For World’s First Thermal Layering System for a Wetsuit.
Previously used in our snow jackets for mountain conditions, PrimaLoft® technology is making its debut in the surf industry. The aim is to bring mountain-grade warmth to the waves.
Vancouver Island’s Day Of Days With Reed Platenius
Surf-Forecast recently helped the 21-year-old Canadian pro surfer and adventurer score some cold water perfection at home.
Read more
Discover more articles and updates in the Greenroom.
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.
false
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.
Nearest