Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s going on with the surf. Right now, there’s nothing to get excited about at Rhino Head. We’ve got a wait on our hands, but things start to shape up as we head into the back half of the week.

The first real chance to get wet comes Thursday, August 14th. The swell drops a touch from the last couple of days, settling around 6.2 ft from the SSW. The period is a solid 16 seconds, which is proper groundswell – long lines, good energy, and those long waits between sets. The wind is light out of the SW, cross-off, and that combo is what we’re after. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about normal for this time of year. That morning and afternoon both look clean and surfable. Even though the combined swell energy is still strong for a reef break setup, this is the standout window for the next week. Rhino Head is a sheltered reef, and the optimum direction from the SW matches up perfectly. Expect the lineup to be manageable, but fair warning, it can get crowded sometimes here.

Friday, August 15th, is a write-off. The wind swings onshore from the ESE at 9-12 mph, the swell stays similar, but the quality goes straight out the window. That pattern sticks with us through Monday the 18th – onshore easterly winds, dropping swell heights down to 2.3 ft to 3.6 ft, and a lot of poor conditions. We’re talking days of flat, choppy nothingness.

Things get interesting again Thursday, August 21st, but it’s a marginal window. We get a brief pulse of glassy offshore wind from the NW in the morning at 6 mph, with a 2.0 ft SW swell at 14 seconds. The energy is really weak here, and the waves are barely there. The afternoon picks up a little with 3.0 ft from SW at 15 seconds, but the wind swings cross-off. It’s surfable, but ordinary.

Now, looking way ahead to the last week of August, there’s a promising call for Tuesday the 25th. The afternoon looks like our best long-range call. The wind cranks offshore from the WNW at 19 mph – fresh and clean. Swell is 5.2 ft from the SSW with a 16-second period, and the combined energy is moderate to strong, but with that gusty offshore it’s going to be tricky to paddle into. Not a beginner spot that day. Then Wednesday the 26th holds similar clean but bumpy conditions with 4.3-4.9 ft SW swells. Come Thursday the 27th, we get a big bump: a 7.9 ft SW swell at 15 seconds, with a howling 28 mph offshore. The combined energy jumps to 3471 – strong. The models say clean, but that wind is going to be an absolute battle to paddle against. For experts only.

In the second week, the windows tighten up. But that Thursday the 14th is your best bet – reliable, clean, and good energy.

Read more