Redhead Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.02° S 151.72° E

Redhead Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 am 17 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Redhead sea temperature is
17.1° C
1.3° 

Redhead surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Redhead surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period, ESE swell with 197 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with ESE 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Redhead in the next 16 days are 1.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 9s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 7PM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Tue 18th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 8s
Best Surf10PM (Wed 19th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s
Most Powerful 7PM (Wed 19th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Redhead over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – for this neck of the woods, the next 16 days are a real tough watch. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with barely a wave worth paddling for, so don’t be in a rush to wax up.

The only spot on the radar is Redhead, a pretty consistent little reef break that often has a crew on it. The water temp is sitting at 63°F – and that’s 2°F below where it should be for this time of year, so it feels a bit colder than normal. We kick things off Monday the 17th of August with some messy 4ft ESE windswell, but the wind is all wrong – cross-onshore at 9 mph – making it choppy and poor. The combined energy is weak to moderate (117). That’s a write-off.

Through Tuesday the 18th, it’s the same story: a bit more energy (126 to 158) but the wind stays cross-shore or cross-onshore, and the quality is rubbish. Wednesday the 19th morning is the first time you’ll see a cleanish wave. The swell drops to 2ft from the ESE with a 10-second period, but the wind goes glassy – zero knots – so it’s surfable but very ordinary. Combined energy is moderate (176). Still, that’s the best we’ve got so far, and it’s only a score of 1 out of 10. The afternoon gets messy again.

Thursday the 20th morning brings a tiny 3ft ESE swell with light offshore wind from the NNW (9 mph), making it clean. But it’s small and the energy is weak (56). Friday the 21st is flat. From there, it’s a gap of days with nothing – just tiny 1ft to 2ft dribble and bad wind. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are barely worth looking at. By Monday the 24th, we get a clean 1ft bump but it’s hopelessly small.

Then on Wednesday the 26th of August, a pulse of E swell hits at 4ft to 5ft with a short 6-second period. The combined energy jumps up to moderate-to-strong (232 morning, 165 afternoon), but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 16 to 19 mph – lumpy and choppy. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. Thursday the 27th cleans up a little but stays poor and small.

After that, it’s flat again through the end of August and into September. The last few days are just tiny 0.3ft to 0.7ft slop with onshore breezes, and even the glassy moments on 1 September can’t save it.

Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The only time it’s clean and small is Wednesday the 19th morning, and that’s not a standout – it’s just the least bad. The rest is a long blank run. Don’t hold your breath; the swell just ain’t on.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 22°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
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)
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
ESE
7
1
ESE
7
1.2
ESE
7
1.1
ESE
7
1
ESE
7
0.9
ESE
8
0.7
ESE
10
1
ESE
10
1
ESE
9
0.8
ESE
7
0.7
ESE
7
0.6
E
6
0.5
E
6
0.4
ENE
6
0.3
ENE
6
0.3
ENE
6
0.3
ENE
6
0.2
ENE
6
0.3
ENE
8
0.3
ENE
9
0.3
ENE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
117
96
136
124
111
103
92
196
147
54
47
28
19
12
7
7
7
4
13
15
13
Wind (km/h)
15
E
10
ESE
15
E
20
E
15
E
5
N
0
SSW
15
ENE
10
N
15
NNW
20
NE
15
NW
5
WNW
5
S
20
NNW
10
WSW
20
SSE
5
NW
5
NNE
20
NE
10
NW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
glassy
glassy
off
cross
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
11:26AM1.23m
11:36PM1.12m
12:11PM1.19m
00:18AM0.98m
12:58PM1.15m
1:07AM0.85m
1:53PM1.11m
2:10AM0.75m
2:56PM1.09m
3:39AM0.70m
4:02PM1.11m
5:05AM0.73m
4:58PM1.15m
Low Tide
5:40PM0.28m
5:50AM0.23m
6:34PM0.35m
6:28AM0.31m
7:34PM0.41m
7:08AM0.37m
8:46PM0.45m
7:56AM0.43m
10:07PM0.44m
8:53AM0.46m
11:14PM0.39m
9:56AM0.46m
00:00AM0.32m
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:28
6:28
6:26
6:26
6:24
6:24
6:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:24
5:25
5:25
5:27
5:28
5:28
5:29
 mm
1
Temp °C
16
16
16
16
16
16
15
16
16
22
21
20
18
17
15
16
16
15
17
20
18
Feels °C
13
14
12
12
13
15
13
13
13
18
17
17
17
16
13
14
12
15
15
17
15
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Redhead:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Redhead 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest