Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the start is a bit of a slow burn. We’ve got a few days of small, clean waves, but nothing that’ll have you scrambling for the board bag straight away. The real juice starts to build towards the end of next week and into the following one, with a solid pulse of SW groundswell that’s worth marking on the calendar.

Let’s run through it day by day.

Wednesday the 8th is a write-off – there’s a small 5ft SSW swell with a long period of 16 seconds, but the conditions are marginal at best. Not worth the paddle.

Thursday the 9th shapes up as a nice little session. Thursday morning has a 3ft SSW swell, 15-second period, with a light north breeze that’s cross-offshore. That’s clean, peaky, and fun for a longboard or a fish. The afternoon gets even better: the wind swings to the NW and drops to just 3 mph, going offshore. The swell holds at 3ft from the SSW with an 18-second period – that’s some very long-period groundswell, which will wrap in nicely here at Rhino Head. The combined energy is moderate (785), and the water temp is 60°F, which is about average for this time of year. This is your best bet for the first few days.

Friday the 10th is a let-down. The swell bumps up a bit to 4ft, but the wind swings around from the NNW at 12 mph, cross-off, and it’s just not coming together. The afternoon gets worse with stronger NW wind.

Saturday the 11th is a total mess. Heavy rain, strong WSW wind at 28 mph, and a messy 8ft SW windswell with a short 8-second period. Combined energy is moderate (1066), but the conditions are poor. Kite surfers might have a look, but for us on paddle boards, it’s a hard pass.

Sunday the 12th stays blown-out with strong winds, but Monday the 13th sees a proper jump in size. We’re looking at a 7ft SW swell, still with a good 16-second period. The combined energy is very strong (2753). The wind is a fresh WSW breeze, cross-off, so it should be clean but beefy. This is getting into expert territory at over 7ft.

Tuesday the 14th is another big day, with the same size and a slightly longer 17-second period from the SSW. Combined energy is massive at 3797. The wind is strong from the west, cross-off again. The waves will have serious push. This is for experienced crew only.

Then things drop off. Wednesday the 15th through Friday the 17th sees the swell fade and the wind turn onshore, which is no good.

But hold on, because Friday the 17th afternoon has a little gem. The swell drops to 4ft from the SSW, 15-second period, but the wind goes *glassy* – ESE at just 3 mph. That’s a rare one. Combined energy is moderate (576). It’s small, but it’ll be perfection for the longboard.

Saturday the 18th is back to ordinary, small and clean but nothing special.

Now, the real standout is the following week.

Monday the 21st of July starts to build again. Tuesday the 22nd of July is the one to circle. Tuesday afternoon we get an 8ft SW swell with a 16-second period – that’s a solid groundswell. Combined energy is huge at 3601. The wind goes offshore from the WNW at just 9 mph. The description says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and I trust that. This will be a heavy, powerful day at Rhino Head. The long period will make it hit hard, but the offshore wind will keep it clean. This is the best on offer in the whole run. It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on the forecasts, but as it stands, that’s the one to aim for.

Wednesday the 23rd of July stays big at 7ft, but the wind turns messy, and then the run fizzles out into onshore junk by Thursday the 24th.

So, bottom line: the first couple of days have some clean small waves, but the real standout is Tuesday the 22nd of July afternoon – that’s the day for the experienced crew to get excited about.

Rusty.

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