Surf Forecasts:
Redhead surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, ESE swell with 195 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Redhead this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Redhead in the next 16 days are 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 9s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Redhead over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me get this straight. The next 16 days are looking pretty grim for Redhead. I’m looking at the whole run and honestly, there’s nothing to get excited about for the first two weeks. We’ve got a big gap of flat, tiny, junk surf from August 10th all the way through to the 20th. That’s over a week of barely anything worthwhile.
The water temp at the start is sitting at about 64°F, which is a touch cooler than average for this time of year, but nothing wild.
The first real glimmer of… well, something, comes on Wednesday, August 19th. We get a bit of a bump in the swell, hitting about 5 ft from the ESE. But the period is a short, crumbly 7 seconds, and it’s coming from a poor direction for Redhead. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not blown out but it’s not clean. That west-northwest offshore wind we really want isn’t there. The combined energy hits 225 (moderate wave energy), but it’s all messy, short-period energy. Honestly, for a reef break, this setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. It’s simply too chunky and disorganised for a good time.
Things don’t really improve until the very end of the run. Friday, August 21st morning, we finally get a moment of calm. The swell drops to about 2 ft from the SE, but the wind goes glassy, dead calm. The combined energy is a weak 60 (weak wave energy). The guidance says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s tiny, but it’s clean. For a beginner at Redhead, this might be the one session to paddle out on, but it’s not a standout by any stretch.
Then on Sunday, August 23rd morning, we get a little more hope. A 2 ft swell from the east with a 9-second period, and the wind is offshore from the NNW at about 15 mph. The combined energy is 74 (weak wave energy). The guidance says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s the best on offer for the whole forecast, but that’s not saying much. It’s small, clean, and the wind is right. For a seasoned surfer, it’s a stretch, but for a beginner who wants a gentle, clean wave, this is your window.
So, to sum it up: the first 11 days are a write-off. The only faint pulse comes on the 23rd of August morning. If you’re desperate, go then. Otherwise, keep the board in the car and wait for a better forecast.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Mon afternoon, calm by Wed morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 129 | 52 | 44 | 73 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 45 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:21PM1.47m | 7:11AM0.99m | 7:14PM1.54m | 7:58AM1.07m | 8:02PM1.57m | 8:40AM1.15m | 8:47PM1.55m | 9:22AM1.21m | 9:31PM1.49m | 10:03AM1.24m | 10:13PM1.40m | 10:44AM1.25m | 10:54PM1.27m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:12AM0.11m | 12:36PM0.26m | 1:58AM0.04m | 1:32PM0.20m | 2:41AM0.01m | 2:24PM0.15m | 3:21AM0.01m | 3:13PM0.14m | 3:59AM0.03m | 4:01PM0.16m | 4:37AM0.09m | 4:50PM0.21m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — |
 | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 4 |
Temp °C | 17 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 7 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 7 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 7 | S 9 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 17 | SSE 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 7 |
| kJ | 129 | 52 | 40 | 572 | 338 | 192 | 137 | 92 | 96 | 614 | 283 | 267 | 269 | 223 | 105 | 59 | 36 | 29 | 25 | 58 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | E 13 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 | ENE 10 | E 10 | SSE 18 | SSE 16 | S 12 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 44 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 140 | 67 | 9 | 7 | 30 | 26 | 43 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 12 | — | ENE 9 | — | — | S 15 | — | S 12 | — | S 15 | S 20 | SSE 19 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 14 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
| kJ | — | 3 | — | 73 | — | — | 4 | — | 3 | — | 5 | 8 | 37 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | W 4 | W 4 | WNW 3 | W 3 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | W 3 | SSW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | ESE 6 |
| kJ | 86 | 48 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 171 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 117 | 172 | 161 | 155 | 45 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 86 | 176 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 32 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 223 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- 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
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