Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what Rhino Head’s got cookin’. This is a sheltered reef break, usually pretty consistent, but the next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag. You’re gonna have to wait for the windows.

We kick off on Friday the 3rd of July. There’s swell in the water – a solid 10ft from the SW, with a very long 15-second period. The energy is hefty (7578). But the wind is a cross-off from the WSW at 16 mph, which is clean enough, but the report calls it marginal tide conditions. It’s big, too, over 8ft, so this is for experts only. It’ll back off a little in the arvo to 7ft but the wind goes onshore from the SW. Not the best start.

Then we get the standout. Saturday the 4th of July, morning session. The swell drops to a much friendlier 5ft from the SW, still a solid 14-second period. The combined energy is moderate (740). But the magic is the wind: glassy, from the ESE at only 3 mph. That is about as clean as it gets. Water temp is 60°, which is bang on average for the time of year, so a 3/2 wetsuit is fine. This is the pick of the whole forecast – a small, clean, glassy window. Best for the early crew.

After that glassy window, it’s a long, drawn-out slump. Saturday afternoon goes cross-onshore and small. Sunday the 5th gets blown out with onshore winds and a 5ft swell. Monday and Tuesday are tiny, messy, and onshore. Wednesday the 8th sees a pulse of 6ft with a very long 18-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore from the east, making it choppy. Thursday and Friday are small and onshore again.

Then we’ve got a gap of poor conditions all the way through. Saturday the 11th brings a fresh breeze and a tiny 3ft swell. Sunday the 12th is a write-off – a risk of thunderstorms, 25-28 mph winds, and a messy 10ft of cross-shore chop. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine.

Looking into the second week, from the 13th to the 18th, there’s no real quality. We see some pulses: 5ft to 7ft from the SW on the 14th and 15th, but the wind is always cross or onshore, so it’s chopped out. The energy can be moderate to strong (2642 on the 14th arvo), but the wind ruins it. The last few days, the 17th and 18th, the swell drops away to under 2ft with clean cross-off winds, but it’s just too small to get excited about.

Honestly, for this two-week look, there’s only one real highlight: that glassy, clean Saturday morning on the 4th of July. Everything else is either too big and gnarly, too small, or too windy. If you’re a beginner, that Saturday morning is your only shot; the rest is either expert only or a no-go. And given how inconsistent the quality is, don’t be surprised to see a few blank days. It’s just one of those runs.

Rusty.

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