Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for Rhino Head.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first proper surfable window doesn’t really open up until Monday, the 20th of July. Before that, Sunday the 19th is a complete write-off – tiny 2ft swell with poor conditions, so don’t even bother. That’s a day and a half of nothing.

Monday morning, the 20th, wakes up with a 3.3ft SW swell, but it’s still a bit marginal. The afternoon is where you start to get interested. The swell bumps up to 3.6ft from the SW, with a 15-second period, and the combined energy is sitting at a solid 535 – that’s a moderate push. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore, so the surface will be clean. There’s a 2/10 score on the afternoon, which is the best we’ve seen so far. Tuesday the 21st holds that same 3.6ft SW swell, with the morning delivering a 13-second period and a light breeze keeping it tidy. The afternoon sees a WNW offshore wind – that’s a major positive. It’s a bit smaller in energy, but the glassy conditions will make for some fun little waves.

Now, Wednesday the 22nd gets messy. The swell is there, 4.3ft to 4.6ft, but it’s getting hammered by a fresh 30 km/h cross-offshore wind. The energy jumps to 821 on the afternoon, but the wind is going to chop it up. Not our day. Thursday the 23rd bumps up to 6.2ft from the SSW with a 14 to 16-second period, and the energy rockets into the strong zone at 1468 and 1677. The problem is the wind is swinging cross and cross-off, and it’s a moderate breeze. It’s a marginal call – the size is there, but it won’t be pretty. That kind of height is getting a bit big for beginners anyway.

Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th see the swell drop back to 3.9ft to 4.6ft, but the wind stays fresh or moderate, keeping the quality average. The 6.2ft days on Thursday are the biggest in the first week, but the wind is the enemy.

The real standout, the one that makes you sit up, is Tuesday the 28th of July. The morning delivers a solid 9.8ft of SW swell, with a 15-second period and a massive 4135 energy reading – that’s very strong. The wind is a strong offshore breeze from the West at 45 km/h. The file says “marginal surf forecast” but the score is a 2, and the description says “strong offshore and clean but hard to paddle into.” That’s the truth. That’s a big, powerful groundswell, and with that long period, it’s going to be a proper, heavy reef wave. This is strictly for experts – 8.2ft is already the top end for most, and 9.8ft is serious. The afternoon drops to 8.2ft with a near gale offshore, which is even harder to paddle into, but the wave itself will be a beast.

After that, the swell drops back through the 6.2ft range on Wednesday the 29th, but cross-shore winds ruin the party. Then we get a long gap of poor conditions right through to the end of July and into August 1st. That Saturday the 1st of August has a tiny 2ft SSW swell, glassy in the morning, but it’s just too small to get excited about.

Then, hold onto your boards. Sunday the 2nd of August is our second true standout. The afternoon delivers a 7.2ft swell from the WSW, with a 13-second period and a massive 2545 energy reading. The wind is a light cross-offshore, so the surface will be clean. The file gives it a 4/10 score and says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” That is the best call of the whole forecast. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s clean. 7.2ft is right on the edge of expert territory, so you need to know what you’re doing. Monday the 3rd of August has a slightly bigger 7.2ft swell from the SW with a 17-second period – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is enormous at 4566, but the wind is onshore and light, which is a shame. It’ll be a heavy, straight-breaking wave at the beach, so it’s more of a reef or point wave that day.

The water temperature is sitting at 59.7°F, which is basically normal for this time of year – no crazy anomaly to report.

So, to wrap it up: for the short-term, Monday afternoon the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are your best bets for a fun, clean, manageable wave. The big, serious swell comes on Tuesday the 28th of July and Sunday the 2nd of August. Those are the days for the experienced crew to get the big, clean, powerful waves. The 28th is a raw, offshore beast, and the 2nd of August is the cleanest of the big days. Don’t sleep

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