Surf Forecasts:
Rhino Head surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 16s period, SW swell with 2,269 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s period with SW 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 19s. 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 2.1m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rhino Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Rhino Head.
Overall, the pattern is a bit of a slow burner. We’ve got a solid window of clean, surfable swell from Thursday morning the 20th right through Sunday the 23rd, with moderate wave energy (665 to 1663) and mostly offshore or cross-offshore winds. The water temp is sitting at 59°F with a tiny anomaly of 0.5°F, so it’s pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year. That Thursday morning the 20th is actually the standout – clear skies, a moderate offshore breeze from the NW at 16 mph, with 5ft of swell from the SW at a juicy 16-second period. That’s proper groundswell, and it’ll be clean as a whistle. The combined energy is 1116, so there’s decent push. It’s a reef break, fairly consistent, and it’s sheltered, so it holds that SW direction well. It’s a beginner spot, but the quality is there for a good session.
Friday the 21st morning keeps the good times rolling with 5ft SW swell at 14 seconds, gentle cross-off breeze, and 1354 energy – another very good call. Saturday the 22nd is also solid all day, with 5-6ft SW swell, 15-16 seconds, and light to gentle cross-off winds. Sunday the 23rd morning is still worth a paddle with 5ft and 17-second period, but the wind swings cross-off from the NNE, so it stays clean.
After Sunday afternoon, things drop off. Monday the 24th is ordinary, with small swell and moderate offshore winds, then Tuesday the 25th sees a pulse of bigger swell (7ft) but it’s onshore and cross-shore with chop, so that’s a miss – that size is too much for beginners anyway, and the conditions are sloppy. There’s a brief window on Wednesday the 26th morning with glassy conditions and 4ft SW swell at 13 seconds, but it’s small. The rest of the run into early September is mostly poor, with onshore winds, cross-shore chop, and minimal swell. The end of the 16-day window sees a few tiny pulses (1ft on the 30th with a very long 19-second period) but the wind is onshore or cross, so it’s not worth getting excited about.
So, the best bet is the Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd stretch, with Thursday morning the 20th being the pick of the bunch.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Wed morning, light winds from the WSW by Fri morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun night, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 8 | WSW 15 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 277 | 1409 | 780 | 954 | 489 | 1149 | 899 | 1663 | 1532 | 1412 | 1074 | 869 | 1193 | 832 | 496 | 261 | 696 | 969 | 1387 | 1438 | 531 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:16PM0.57m | 5:43AM0.79m | 3:52PM0.52m | 6:19AM0.74m | 1:59PM0.52m | 7:29AM0.68m | 12:20PM0.72m | 12:56PM0.79m | 3:38AM0.37m | 1:22PM0.86m | 2:36AM0.40m | ||||||||||
Low Tide | 11:23AM0.34m | 10:31PM0.11m | 12:00PM0.43m | 10:32PM0.12m | 1:14PM0.52m | 10:26PM0.13m | 10:07PM0.15m | 9:39PM0.15m | 9:15PM0.15m | 5:30AM0.36m | 9:03PM0.14m | ||||||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 236 | 140 | 780 | 954 | 489 | 1149 | 899 | 1663 | 1532 | 1412 | 1074 | 869 | 1193 | 832 | 496 | 261 | 78 | 138 | 251 | 513 | 531 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | — | SW 20 | SW 18 | — | — | SSW 23 | SSW 21 | SW 19 | — | — | S 22 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | — | — | SW 14 |
| kJ | 152 | 40 | 263 | 162 | — | 136 | 455 | — | — | 54 | 302 | 376 | — | — | 9 | 38 | 37 | 150 | — | — | 132 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 260 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WSW 15 | W 10 | NW 4 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | N 2 | WNW 3 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SSE 3 |
| kJ | 277 | 1409 | 479 | 9 | 241 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 6 | 696 | 969 | 1387 | 1438 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 468 | 535 | 0 | 5 | 535 | 30 | 0 | 132 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 30 | 30 | 44 | 28 |
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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