Surf Forecasts:
Rhino Head surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 19s period, SW swell with 4,091 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rhino Head this week:
The surf forecast for Rhino Head over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rhino Head in the next 16 days are 2.4m 19s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rhino Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, your local bloke on the sand. We’ve got a mixed bag coming up at Rhino Head (a sheltered reef setup preferring a SW swell) over the next couple of weeks. There’s a bit of a slow start, but the second half of the first week into the second week has some real moments. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there – just your usual tropical-ish feel.
The first real surf to get excited about hits on Wednesday, 3rd September. Thursday morning’s looking at a solid 7ft SW swell (moderate combined energy of 2604) with a period of 14 seconds – that’s a nice groundswell with some punch. It’s a bit big for beginners, but the wind is a cross-offshore, keeping things reasonably clean. The standout though is Tuesday afternoon, on the 8th of September. That’s the pick of the bunch: a 10ft SSW swell, period stretching to 19 seconds – very long-period groundswell – and combined energy cranking at 8514. The wind is a light cross-off, so it’ll be clean. That long period means it’ll wrap in nicely at this reef, with proper shape and long lulls between sets. It’s a strong option, but the size (over 8ft) means it’s for experienced crew only. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might see a few others out.
Earlier in the run, Saturday, 5th September is also notable with a 8ft SW swell and a period of 16 seconds in the afternoon (combined energy of 5728). The wind is a moderate cross-off, so decent, but it’s right on that edge where it’s getting big. The following Wednesday morning, 9th September, has excellent conditions for experienced surfers: 7ft SW swell, 17-second period, and light cross-off winds – a proper clean session.
After that, things drop off. Sunday, 12th September afternoon has a small 5ft SW swell glassy and clean (combined energy of 833), nice for a cruise on a longboard. Then from Monday, 13th September onwards, it’s a dry spell with weak swells around 3ft to 4ft and poor conditions – a real lull for the last few days of the forecast window.
So overall, if you’re an experienced surfer, lock in the 8th of September as your day. The 5th and 9th are solid backups. For everyone else, maybe the glassy Sunday the 12th or the cleaner Thursday the 3rd.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Tue morning, light winds from the NNW by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Fri night, light winds from the N by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 15 | SW 13 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 641 | 268 | 537 | 933 | 1124 | 774 | 1762 | 1537 | 1785 | 1663 | 1453 | 1014 | 2317 | 2772 | 2497 | 1466 | 721 | 272 | 1062 | 2845 | 4091 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 3:39PM0.69m | 4:12AM0.91m | 3:51PM0.59m | 4:43AM0.92m | 3:53PM0.51m | 5:20AM0.90m | 3:32PM0.45m | 6:08AM0.84m | 7:40AM0.76m | 11:29AM0.78m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 9:57AM0.12m | 9:37PM0.04m | 10:33AM0.18m | 9:47PM0.02m | 11:12AM0.26m | 9:58PM0.00m | 12:03PM0.37m | 10:08PM0.00m | 10:11PM0.02m | 9:54PM0.06m | 9:04PM0.10m | ||||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | | |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:06 | — |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 15 | — | SW 19 |
| kJ | 641 | 268 | 537 | 933 | 1124 | 774 | 1107 | 1537 | 1785 | 1663 | 1453 | 1014 | 1020 | 2772 | 2497 | 1466 | 721 | 272 | 1038 | — | 129 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 20 | SW 18 | WSW 5 | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 4 | — | WNW 8 | — | — |
| kJ | 38 | 252 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 140 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 20 | NE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 4 | WNW 5 | — | WSW 6 | W 4 | WSW 6 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | — | N 3 | N 3 | WSW 6 | SW 14 | WSW 15 | — | NE 3 | N 4 | W 6 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 35 | 30 | — | 21 | 15 | 156 | 1762 | 878 | — | 2 | 6 | 113 | 2317 | 1356 | — | 5 | 9 | 92 | 1062 | 2845 | 4091 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 83 | 1182 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 535 | 721 | 510 | 155 | 0 | 157 | 640 | 1188 | 1180 | 1180 | 0 | 143 | 143 | 134 | 712 | 1180 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Rhino Head Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rhino Head provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rhino Head can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rhino Head 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 (Rhino Head) 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 Rhino Head 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 Yorke Peninsula? If you are looking for accommodation near Rhino Head, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Yorke Peninsula, consider staying in Kingscote which is 75 km (47 miles) away.
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