Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s lined up at Rhino Head. It’s a sheltered little reef, good for beginners when conditions play nice, but this forecast is a real mixed bag, so we gotta pick our moments.

We start off with a bit of a wait. The first few days, Tuesday the 15th through Thursday the 17th morning, are pretty much a write-off. You’ve got swell around 5.6 ft coming from the SSW with a solid 15-second period, so there’s decent energy, but the wind is howling from the south at 16 mph, putting a messy cross-onshore chop on it all. It’s just not worth paddling out.

Then we get a little window. Thursday afternoon the 17th, the wind drops to nothing, glassy conditions, and the swell drops to a clean 3.3 ft from the SSW. The combined energy is moderate. It’s small, but glassy and clean with a 14-second period between sets? That’s a good time for a beginner to get some smooth rides. You’ll get clean little waves all to yourself, since crowds are only sometimes a thing here.

After that, a long gap sets in. From Friday the 18th right through to the afternoon of Tuesday the 22nd, it’s mostly onshore or cross-offshore winds and the swell gets choppy, too small, or the wind is just cruel. Not worth your time.

Now, Tuesday the 22nd afternoon rolls around and we get another glassy moment. The swell is 4.3 ft from the SSW, 15-second period, moderate energy, and it is completely flat calm with a glassy surface. Another sneaky good session for a learner or someone wanting an easy paddle.

There's another period of meh conditions until we see something building for the end of the month. Friday the 25th afternoon has a 6.2 ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period and a clean, moderate offshore breeze from the northwest. Combined energy is strong, so there’s some push. It’s surfable, but that 16-second period might make it a bit walled-off at a beach break – luckily, Rhino Head is a reef, so it should line up nicely.

The standout is Saturday the 26th morning. We get a pumping 8.2 ft SSW groundswell with a very long 19-second period. The combined energy is very strong at 4557. Winds are light from the south at 6 mph, just a slight cross-shore. That swell size is for experienced surfers only, but if you’re ready, that reef is going to fire with some real power and shape. Get on it early before the Saturday afternoon showers start to crumble it.

Confidence is decent for the near term, but that big Saturday the 26th is the one to circle. A few days later, Tuesday the 29th afternoon also looks promising, with a clean 4.6 ft SSW groundswell and light offshore winds. A solid, clean option as the swell backs off.

So, bottom line: it’s a slow start, but there are pockets of glass and a proper big swell day waiting for the crew that knows when to go.

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