Redhead Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a flat, frustrating stretch for us here at Redhead. There’s a whole lot of nothing on the menu, and we’re looking at a long, quiet spell before anything remotely worth paddling out for shows its face. The water’s sitting at 63°, which is a bit colder than we’d normally expect for this time of year, so don’t forget the booties if you do make the trek.

The first real tease comes on Thursday the 20th. It’s not much—just 3ft of east-southeast swell at 7 seconds, with the energy reading a weak 89. But with a glassy morning and the wind completely dead, it’s the cleanest we’ll see for a while. It’s surfable, but you’ll be hunting for the little runners on a reef that’s fairly consistent. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s something. The afternoon chops up with a moderate east-northeast cross-shore, so get in early.

Then we drop right back off again. The rest of that week and into the next is a write-off. We’re looking at tiny, weak, onshore slop—nothing but closeouts and frustration as we slog through a run of poor conditions with hardly any swell. The morning of the 21st has a bit of offshore wind, but the swell is a measly 2ft with no energy behind it (43). Not worth suiting up for.

There’s an absolute drought from the 22nd through the 27th, mate. Barely a ripple. On the 26th, the wind howls from the east-northeast at 35 km/h with zero swell—that’s kite-surfing conditions, not surfing. You’d be fighting a washing machine for nothing.

Now, here’s the one glimmer of hope in this whole 16-day window. On Friday the 28th, we finally get a pulse of proper groundswell. It’s only 5ft out of the southeast at a 10-second period, but the combined energy jumps to a solid 421—the strongest we’ve seen by a mile. The morning looks the best of it: light west-southwest winds holding the surface clean. The break’s a reef, so the longer period should help it shape up decently. That said, it’s a 16-day forecast, so treat this as promising but not certain. The swell direction is a little off from what we’d ideally want—we like it from the northeast—but I’d still be keen for a paddle. Saturday the 29th backs off quickly to 3ft and the onshore wind returns, so if you get that window on Friday, take it.

Overall, if you’re hanging for a wave, mark Friday the 28th on the calendar. It’s the only real standout, and the only day this stretch looks like it might offer something with a bit of push. Until then, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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