Surf Forecasts:
Rhino Head surf forecast from 10 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 17s period, SW swell with 3,498 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 16s 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 (Jul 14) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 16s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rhino Head in the next 16 days are 2.4m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 11) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rhino Head over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking.
We’re kicking off with a pretty slow start, not gonna lie. The first few days are a write-off – strong winds and not much quality. Friday the 10th has some chest-high swell around 4 ft from the SW but that 20 km/h cross-off wind and rain showers make it a messy prospect. Saturday the 11th is a total loss: 50 km/h winds and a big, chunky 8 ft swell that’s blown out completely. Not worth paddling out.
Sunday the 12th still has fresh breezes, but the afternoon brings a real shift. The wind swings offshore (W at 35 km/h), and you’ve got a solid 8 ft SW groundswell with a 13-second period. The combined energy jumps to 2180 – that’s a lot of power. Rhino Head is a sheltered reef, and with that long period, it’ll be holding up nicely. It’s big, though – over 8 ft, so this one’s for experienced surfers only. Crowds are possible here.
Monday the 13th keeps that same energy going – 8 ft SW swell, 16-second period, still offshore. The combined energy peaks at 3677 by the afternoon, which is pumping. Same caveat: this is expert territory. If you’ve got the skills, Monday afternoon is the standout of the first week.
Tuesday the 14th drops a little to 7 ft, still clean but cross-off, so it’s good but not as epic.
Now, Wednesday the 15th is a gem. The morning brings glassy conditions – 5 km/h NNE wind, zero chop. The swell is a clean 5 ft from the SW with a 16-second period, combined energy at 1178. That’s perfect for Rhino Head. It’s a beginner-friendly reef, so this is a rare window for everyone to get a piece. The water is about 60°F, which is bang on average for this time of year.
After Wednesday, the surf fades fast. Thursday the 16th drops to 4 ft, and the wind turns cross – poor. From Friday the 17th through to Tuesday the 22nd, it’s a long, flat gap. The swell is small (2 ft to 3 ft), and the winds are mostly cross-off or just plain strong. There’s a small window on Wednesday the 23rd morning with a 5 ft WSW swell and offshore wind, but it’s short-period (10 seconds) and combined energy is only 867. Not worth a special trip.
The real promise is further out. Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th look good. Thursday the 24th morning has a 7 ft SW swell, 14-second period, offshore wind, and combined energy of 2674 – that’s solid. Friday the 25th morning is smaller at 4 ft, but with a moderate offshore breeze and clean conditions. These are both promising, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on the forecasts.
Overall, the best days are Monday the 13th (experts) and Wednesday the 15th (everyone). After that, Thursday the 24th is a distant standout.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Fri morning, strong winds from the WSW by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 7 | SW 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 773 | 566 | 412 | 498 | 1535 | 2340 | 1697 | 1724 | 1762 | 2954 | 2796 | 3339 | 2696 | 2234 | 1531 | 1178 | 980 | 623 | 476 | 476 | 657 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 9:43AM0.87m | 11:10AM0.97m | 12:14PM1.07m | 1:22AM0.26m | 1:06PM1.16m | 1:50AM0.30m | 1:51PM1.21m | 2:20AM0.37m | 2:32PM1.22m | 2:54AM0.45m | 3:09PM1.19m | 3:30AM0.53m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 00:38AM0.23m | 1:01AM0.23m | 9:31PM0.21m | 3:57AM0.24m | 9:29PM0.18m | 5:42AM0.21m | 9:42PM0.16m | 6:52AM0.17m | 10:00PM0.16m | 7:50AM0.15m | 10:20PM0.16m | ||||||||||
 | |  |  | | |  |  | | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | |
 | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — |
 | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — |
mm | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | — | — | — | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 773 | 566 | 412 | 134 | — | — | — | 456 | 1762 | 2954 | 881 | 3339 | 2696 | 2234 | 1531 | 1178 | 980 | 623 | 476 | 476 | 657 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 6 | — | — | — | — | SSW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 622 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | 180 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | W 5 | WSW 7 | SW 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | WSW 6 | SW 16 | W 8 | WSW 6 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | NNE 3 | NNE 2 |
| kJ | 1 | 11 | 29 | 498 | 1535 | 2340 | 1697 | 1724 | 1044 | 74 | 2796 | 201 | 55 | 137 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 5 | 721 | 893 | 963 | 1189 | 1229 | 155 | 1028 | 724 | 739 | 535 | 535 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 83 | 7 | 83 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Rhino Head surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest