Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Mother Nature’s got lined up for us.

First up, water temp is sitting at 59°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start. Sunday the 2nd has some swell around but the conditions are messy with a fresh cross-off breeze, and the wave comment says poor. Not worth getting wet for. Monday the 3rd sees the swell bump up to 6ft from the SW, and the energy is climbing, but it’s still a bit lumpy with that cross-off wind, and only a marginal call.

Tuesday the 4th is where things start to look interesting. The swell drops a touch to 4ft from the SW but the wind goes totally glassy by the afternoon – dead calm, 0 mph. That’s a rare treat. The energy is moderate and the period is a nice 14 seconds, so you’ll get some proper groundswell lines. It’s only 3ft by the arvo but clean as a whistle. The best time will be Tuesday afternoon at Rhino Head. It’s a sheltered reef, fairly consistent, and with glassy conditions like that, the crowds might show up (it says ‘sometimes’), but it’ll be worth sharing a few waves. The swell direction is SW, which matches the optimum direction for the spot. For a beginner-friendly reef, this is your window.

Wednesday the 5th drops right off to 2ft, still clean but tiny. Thursday the 6th is similar, clean but small. Then Friday the 7th the swell jumps back to 6ft from the SW, energy is strong, but the cross-shore wind chops it up. Saturday the 8th gets blown out by a near gale – 31 mph from the north – so that’s a write-off. Sunday the 9th is big but ugly: 8ft to 10ft from the SW with a near gale cross-shore. That’s for the crew with death wishes only.

Now, Monday the 10th of August is the real standout. Morning session: 8ft of SW swell, 16-second period, energy is huge, and the wind is a gentle cross-off from the WSW. The wave comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is big, powerful reef surf – over 8ft so it’s experts only. The direction still lines up well. If you’ve got the skills, Monday morning is the pick of the whole forecast. The afternoon drops a bit to 8ft but stays clean.

Tuesday the 11th holds size around 8ft but the wind picks up to a fresh breeze from the NNW, making it a bit messier. Good for the brave but not as clean as Monday. Wednesday the 12th is another solid 10ft morning with a gentle offshore, energy through the roof, but the afternoon gets rain and a fresh breeze. Still, for the big-wave crew, Wednesday morning is a looker.

After that, it slowly fades. Thursday the 13th is 7ft, Friday the 14th is 5ft with a gentle offshore and a “very good” wave comment – a nice cleanup day for the intermediate crowd. Saturday the 15th is 4ft and clean, and Sunday the 16th drops to under 3ft and the energy fizzles. The last decent window is Monday the 17th with 5ft and a gentle offshore again – a tidy end to the run.

So, to wrap it up: Tuesday afternoon the 4th for the glassy, beginner-friendly session, and Monday morning the 10th for the experienced crew wanting some meaty, clean reef waves. The rest is a mix of too small, too windy, or too raw.

Rusty.

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