
Surf Forecasts:
Redhead surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 4 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 13s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 6 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 9s period, SE swell with 690 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 13s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Redhead this week:
The surf forecast for Redhead over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 04) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Redhead in the next 16 days are 2.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 06) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 11s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 05) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Sat 4th Jul) | 1ft (0.3m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Sat 4th Jul) | 1ft (0.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Mon 6th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Redhead over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
G’day, Rusty here.
Righto, lookin’ at Redhead for the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with ya—it’s a pretty lean stretch. This is a reef setup, fairly exposed, and it’s got a bit of a NE swell direction preference, but the ocean just ain’t playin’ ball for most of it. You’re lookin’ at a long gap with basically nothin’ worth paddlin’ out for.
Let me walk ya through it. We kick off Saturday the 4th of July, and it’s clear skies with a light northwesterly, which is a nice cross-off breeze. But the swell’s tiny—0.7ft from the east, period around 13 seconds. Combined energy is just 19—that’s weak as dishwater. Water temp’s 67°, about what you’d expect for this time of year. Honest, this is poor surf, not worth wettin’ a suit over.
That set the tone for the next week, honestly. Saturday arvo, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday—all rubbish. Winds swing southerly and get up to 19 mph, cross-on or onshore, and those little 0.7ft to 1ft east swells just get chopped to bits. The energy’s in the teens, barely crackin’ 20. It’s a write-off.
Wednesday the 8th sees a tiny pulse—1ft to 2ft from the ESE, period around 12 to 13 seconds, energy creepin’ up to 69 then 83. Still moderate, but the wind’s a moderate to fresh breeze from the southwest, cross or cross-on. It’s lumpy and messy. Thursday and Friday the 9th and 10th flatline again—zero energy, despite a brief glassy moment Friday morning, but with no swell, that’s just a flat pond.
There is a flicker of hope come Sunday the 12th of July. Mornin’ session sees a 2ft ESE swell, period about 10 seconds, combined energy hittin’ 55—that’s actually moderate! And the wind’s a clean offshore from the NNW at 9 mph. This is the closest we get to “surfable” in this whole run. It’s small, sure, and the break can be inconsistent, but with that offshore breeze cleanin’ it right up, you might snag a few little peelers. Still, it’s beginner-friendly at that size. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so if you go, you might have a few mates out.
That little window fades out Monday and Tuesday the 13th and 14th with similar tiny swells and cross-off winds, but energy drops back to weak levels. Then from Wednesday the 15th right through to the end of the forecast, it’s a big fat zero for most of it, with fresh to strong southerly winds hittin’ 22 mph. Friday the 17th of July arvo does show a spike—6ft from the SE, period only 8 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, energy a huge 534—that’s strong. But the wind’s a fresh cross-onshore at 22 mph, so it’ll be blown-out, lumpy, and ugly. That kind of setup with a beach-and-reef joint like Redhead looks way more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.
Saturday the 18th has a tiny 0.3ft SE swell with a ridiculously long 21-second period, energy only 17, and light onshore wind. The only thing long period that does is make for long waits between nothing.
So bottom line: The only day that even gets a nod is Sunday the 12th in the mornin’. Small, clean, offshore. That’s your pick. The rest is a long, grim gap with no real standouts. It’s not abnormal for the area, but it sure ain’t fun.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon night, min 12°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the SSE by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue night, light winds from the WSW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 12 | E 11 | E 8 | E 13 | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 11 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | ESE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | 27 | 23 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 83 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 11:12AM1.06m | 11:01PM1.39m | 11:53AM1.09m | 11:43PM1.32m | 12:38PM1.12m | 00:30AM1.23m | 1:27PM1.16m | 1:25AM1.14m | 2:23PM1.21m | 2:29AM1.04m | 3:25PM1.28m | 3:45AM0.97m | 4:29PM1.36m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:44PM0.41m | 5:46AM0.18m | 5:34PM0.44m | 6:25AM0.22m | 6:30PM0.46m | 7:07AM0.26m | 7:32PM0.47m | 7:53AM0.30m | 8:43PM0.46m | 8:44AM0.34m | 9:59PM0.42m | 9:40AM0.35m | 11:16PM0.34m | ||||||||
6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | |
— | 4:58 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | 4 | — | 2 | 8 | 3 | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 10 | S 9 | E 8 | SSE 15 | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 21 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
373 | 181 | 117 | 12 | 612 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 1080 | 1306 | 1628 | 1592 | 1544 | 1138 | 1137 | 1021 | 9 | 1287 | 1237 | 978 | 635 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | S 12 | S 12 | E 13 | E 13 | — | — | — | E 13 | E 11 | — | S 16 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | S 23 | S 17 | ESE 8 | S 19 | S 21 | S 19 |
5 | 78 | 72 | 3 | 13 | — | — | — | 14 | 10 | — | 5 | 69 | 83 | 70 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 12 | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 22 | S 22 | — | — | — | — |
14 | 27 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 9 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 2 | — | SE 3 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | — | SSE 11 | — | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | — | — | — | — |
1 | — | 2 | 2130 | 1568 | 1756 | 1160 | 1077 | 1352 | — | 2092 | — | 1810 | 1526 | 1365 | 1256 | 1062 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 137 | 253 | 281 | 209 | 209 | 3 | 3 | 32 | 84 | 32 | 119 | 3 | 3 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Redhead Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Redhead provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Redhead can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Redhead 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 (Redhead) 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 Redhead 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Newcastle? If you are looking for accommodation near Redhead, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Newcastle, consider staying in Newcastle which is 12 km (7 miles) away. Other places in and around Newcastle where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Catherine Hill Bay which is 19 km (12 miles) away, Cessnock, Port Stephens and Central Coast.










