Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what we’ve got coming up at Rhino Head. It’s a sheltered reef set-up that’s beginner-friendly and fairly consistent, but it’s going to take a bit of patience to find the real moments here.

The first solid window is a long way off, so we’re looking at a pretty flat and average start to the period. The first few days from Thursday the 23rd through to the end of July are mostly a write-off. We’ve got a few days of clean conditions but with very small swell, like Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th, where the waves are just too weak to get excited about. The energy is low (287-477 range), and the swell is barely scraping 3 ft. It’s pretty ordinary.

We then hit a proper gap from Monday the 28th through to Thursday the 30th – the wind is ugly, mostly cross-shore or onshore, and the quality tanks. Combined energy jumps up a bit (964-1963), but the wind and chop ruin it. This stretch is a no-go for a paddle. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during those days.

Finally, things start to turn around at the very end of the week. Friday the 31st of July gives us a little tease with a glassy morning and a very long period 20-second swell, but the size is tiny at 2 ft. The energy is still low (396). It’s clean but not surfable.

The real standouts come on the 1st and 2nd of August. If you’ve been waiting, this is your window. Saturday the 1st of August afternoon is the first true highlight. We’ve got 6 ft of clean swell from the SW with a 17-second period, combined energy up at 1721. The wind is a light cross-offshore, making it clean. This is a proper, long-period groundswell, and on a reef like Rhino Head, that’s a beautiful thing. The water temp is about 59° here, which is normal for the time of year.

Then Sunday the 2nd of August afternoon is even better. It’s glassy, 5 ft of SW swell, with a 15-second period and combined energy of 1736. This is about as good as it gets for this spot. The conditions are calling for very good surf. Crowds are “sometimes” an issue here, so with a forecast this good, expect some company.

Looking further ahead, Monday the 3rd of August morning has the biggest swell of the run at 7 ft from the SSW with a very long 18-second period and strong energy (2961). That’s a lot of power. For a beginner-friendly reef, 7 ft is pushing into expert territory, especially with that long period. It’s clean but the size and power will be a handful. The afternoon is still solid at 6 ft.

After that, the swell fades off quickly into the second week. The 4th through the 6th of August drop back to small, poor conditions, with energy dropping below 600. We do get a late pulse on Friday the 7th of August, with a 5 ft, 20-second period SW groundswell and energy of 2705, but it’s a bit of a long shot being that far out. The wind is clean, so it’s promising but less certain.

Bottom line: The first week is a dud. The best on offer is definitely the afternoon of Saturday the 1st of August and the glassy afternoon of Sunday the 2nd of August. That’s when you want to be in the water. Monday the 3rd is for the experienced crew only.

Rusty.

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