Surf Forecasts:
Rhino Head surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,643 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period with SW 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 18s. 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 1.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (ACST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rhino Head over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, ol' Rusty here. Let's get into it.
We've got a solid run of surf on the cards at Rhino Head, a beginner-friendly reef break that's fairly consistent. The water's sitting at 59°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The goods kick off on Thursday the 20th, but it's a bit of a slow start. Thursday morning has a clean 5ft SW groundswell with a long 16-second period, and a light offshore breeze from the NW. The energy is moderate at 1126, but the conditions are described as marginal, so it's a bit of a wait-and-see. Thursday afternoon gets a bit messy with a fresh cross-offshore wind, so I'd call that a write-off.
Friday the 21st is where it starts to get interesting. Friday morning brings a clean 5ft SW swell with a 14-second period, and a gentle cross-offshore breeze. The energy is solid at 1447, and the forecast is for "very good surf conditions". That's a real standout. Friday afternoon holds up well too, with a slightly bigger 6ft swell and a longer 17-second period, though the wind picks up a notch.
Saturday the 22nd is another good day. Both the morning and afternoon sessions are clean, with a consistent 5-6ft SW swell, gentle winds, and moderate energy around 1360. The afternoon is also tipped for "very good surf conditions".
Sunday the 23rd is the top pick for me. The morning has a clean 5ft SSW groundswell, a very long 17-second period, and a light offshore breeze from the north. The energy is still strong at 1336, and it's forecast for "very good surf conditions". The afternoon is also clean with a 5ft SW swell. This is a classic early-summer day.
Monday the 24th sees the swell drop right off. The morning has a weak 3ft SW swell with only 312 energy, described as "very ordinary". There's a bit of a lull here.
Things pick up again on Tuesday the 25th, but the quality drops. The morning has a 5ft SW swell, but a moderate cross-shore wind creates a chop. Not great.
From Wednesday the 26th through to the end of the run, the wind starts to blow. We get a few days of clean conditions, but the wind is often strong. There's a run of poor conditions from the 27th through the 30th with strong to fresh breezes. The 31st of August has a 4ft SSW groundswell with a very long 19-21 second period, but it's blowing a strong offshore at 45 km/h, making it hard to paddle into. That's more for the experts.
The first week of September is a bit of a mixed bag. The 3rd of September afternoon has a promising 6ft SW swell with a 16-second period, but a fresh offshore wind at 30 km/h. The 4th of September morning has some size at 7ft from the SW, but with a cross-shore wind and a cross-chop, it's not ideal.
So, to wrap it up: The standout is Sunday the 23rd, with Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd also being excellent. After that, it's a lot of wind and average conditions, with a few marginal windows for the keen.
Stay stoked,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri night, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Thu morning, light winds from the NE by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 964 | 1194 | 1366 | 992 | 1643 | 1532 | 1306 | 1140 | 869 | 1336 | 1018 | 496 | 297 | 236 | 434 | 1208 | 869 | 721 | 437 | 277 | 380 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 3:52PM0.52m | 6:19AM0.74m | 1:59PM0.52m | 7:29AM0.68m | 12:20PM0.72m | 12:56PM0.79m | 3:38AM0.37m | 1:22PM0.86m | 2:36AM0.40m | 1:44PM0.90m | 2:26AM0.46m | ||||||||||
Low Tide | 12:00PM0.43m | 10:32PM0.12m | 1:14PM0.52m | 10:26PM0.13m | 10:07PM0.15m | 9:39PM0.15m | 9:15PM0.15m | 5:30AM0.36m | 9:03PM0.14m | 6:37AM0.29m | 8:59PM0.13m | ||||||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  | | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 964 | 242 | 1366 | 992 | 1643 | 1532 | 1306 | 1140 | 869 | 1336 | 1018 | 496 | 297 | 236 | 257 | 1208 | 869 | 721 | 437 | 277 | 380 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | — | SW 20 | SW 18 | — | — | SSW 24 | SW 21 | SSW 19 | — | — | — | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 17 | — | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SW 23 |
| kJ | 162 | — | 136 | 455 | — | — | 54 | 222 | 465 | — | — | — | 15 | 57 | 434 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 21 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 23 |
| kJ | — | — | 130 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | SW 16 | — | — | W 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 3 | — | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | — |
| kJ | 27 | 1194 | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 3 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 67 | 535 | 44 | 0 | 132 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 44 | 44 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Yorke Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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