Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming up for Rhino Head. This spot is a sheltered reef break, best on a southwest swell, and it’s fairly consistent. Water temp is sitting at 60°F, which is bang on average for this time of year.

The next few days are a write-off. Tuesday afternoon is a bust – cross-on wind, choppy, and the combined energy is weak. Wednesday and Thursday look pretty average too, onshore slop with short-period, wind-affected swell.

Things start to show a pulse from Thursday afternoon, July 9th. The wind swings cross-offshore from the NNW, with a clean 3-foot SSW groundswell rolling in with a long 18-second period. The combined energy is moderate. That’s that first tease of something better.

Friday morning, July 10th, shapes up nicely. You’re looking at 4-foot SW groundswell with a gentle cross-offshore breeze. That’s clean, surfable, and the wave shape should be decent on the reef. The afternoon holds similar, just a touch smaller.

Saturday, July 11th, is a write-off. The swell jumps over 6 feet, but it’s a short-period windswell at 8 seconds and swept by a strong 25 mph wind.

Now, Sunday July 12th is the first real standout. Morning brings a proper offshore wind from the west, blowing straight into the face of a clean 6-foot SW groundswell with a 13-second period. The combined energy is strong. It’s going to be a powerful, walling wave on the reef. That offshore wind is a gift.

Monday July 13th builds on that. The swell pushes to 8 feet from the SSW, with a very long 16-second period. Combined energy is strong. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s still clean, but at 8 feet, this is expert territory only. The reef will be handling a lot of water with that long period.

Tuesday July 14th is the absolute pick of the bunch. Morning has a clean 5-foot SSW groundswell with a light cross-offshore wind. By the afternoon, the wind drops to dead offshore, a 3 mph sigh from the west. Swell settles to 5 feet with a 16-second period. That will be glassy, lined-up, and perfect for the reef. If you can only surf one day this fortnight, make it Tuesday July 14th.

Wednesday July 15th is a close second. The afternoon session is something special: 4 feet of SSW groundswell with a very long 20-second period. Combined energy is strong – that’s a lot of grunt in a small wave. With a light breeze, that’ll be clean and have plenty of push.

After that, the pattern settles into smaller, clean waves in the 4-foot to 5-foot range for the rest of the week, but the winds get stronger. By the weekend of July 19th and 20th, the wind is howling near gale force, making it ugly and hard to paddle into, even if the swell is there.

So to sum it up: sit tight until Thursday July 9th. The standout windows are Sunday morning July 12th for power, Tuesday July 14th for perfection, and Wednesday afternoon July 15th for that super-long-period glide.

Rusty out.

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