Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a slow starter on our hands for the next week and a half, but the back half of the forecast window is shaping up to be the real deal. The first real action doesn’t show until Monday afternoon, so you’ll be twiddling your thumbs through the weekend.

Rhino Head (reef break, sheltered from swell) is our only option on the table. Friday and Saturday are a total write-off – weak, messy, and onshore. Sunday’s tiny with a long period swell, but the conditions are poor. Nothing doing there.

Monday the 31st of August starts to show a pulse. The morning is still marginal with a 4ft SSW swell, but the afternoon turns it on. By Monday arvo, we’ve got a clean 5ft SSW groundswell at an 18-second period – proper long-period energy coming through. The combined swell energy is moderate at 1551, and with a light offshore breeze, it’ll be glassy and lined up. This is your first worthwhile session of the outlook. Crowds are possible here, so keep that in mind.

Tuesday the 1st of September gets blown out by a fresh 22 mph NNW breeze, despite a clean face. Not worth it.

The middle of the week shapes up better. Wednesday afternoon the 2nd sees offshore winds and a clean 4ft SSW swell. Then Thursday morning the 3rd has a moderate offshore breeze for a 5ft SW swell – good, clean, and rideable for most.

Now, the standout. Thursday afternoon the 3rd is a bit dodgy with strong offshores and the swell cranking to 7ft (moderate to strong energy at 1983), but if you can handle the bump, there’s power. The real gem is Friday the 4th of September. Friday afternoon delivers a clean 7ft SW swell with a gentle offshore breeze and strong combined energy of 2802. This is excellent for experienced surfers – big, clean, and powerful. The reef will handle that swell direction beautifully.

Saturday the 5th drops back to 5ft, still clean but nothing special.

Another gap hits from Sunday the 6th through Tuesday the 9th of September – onshore winds, lumpy, choppy, and generally poor. Not worth paddling out.

Things come alive again on Thursday the 10th of September. The morning offers a clean 3ft SW groundswell with light offshore winds and a combined energy of 492 – small but fun.

Then we get the second true standout. Friday the 11th of September is a big one: morning sees an 8ft SW swell with a very long 18-second period and a moderate offshore breeze. The combined energy is a massive 3839 – strong, powerful, groundswell. This is only for experienced surfers; it’s big and the long period means it’ll stand up best at this reef. It’ll be clean and thumping. The afternoon holds another 8ft, but with stronger cross-offshore winds – still clean but a bit more work.

Saturday the 12th of September holds steady with 7ft to 8ft SW groundswell in the clean range, with gentle breezes. Good size, still for the proficient crew, and the combined energy stays well above 2800.

Water temp is sitting about 59°, which is pretty much average for this time of year at Rhino Head.

Best of the best: Friday the 4th of September afternoon for clean, powerful conditions, and Friday the 11th of September morning if you’re after size and purity. Both are strong, clean, and quality reef waves. The long period swells towards the end will suit this break’s setup perfectly.

Rusty.

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