Rhino Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, listen up. Rusty here.

Looking at the next 16 days for Rhino Head, it’s a bit of a slow burn at first, but there’s a couple of sessions that’ll get your heart pumping. The water’s sitting at 60°F, which is pretty standard for this time of year, nothing wild.

The first few days are a dud. From Saturday the 18th through Sunday the 19th, the swell is pathetic, and the wind is all over the shop. Wave heights are barely 2 to 3 feet, and the combined energy is weak, sitting at 329 and dropping to 217. Don’t even bother.

Things start to wake up on Monday the 20th. The swell picks up to 3 to 4 feet, coming from the SW with a period of 14 to 15 seconds. The wind turns cross-offshore, and the combined energy hits the moderate range at 432 to 466. Monday afternoon and Tuesday the 21st are looking good. Tuesday morning is clean with light winds, and by Tuesday afternoon, you’ve got a gentle offshore breeze from the WNW making it glassy. This is your first real window. The swell is modest, around 4 feet, so it’s good for everyone. Rhino Head is a reef break, fairly consistent, and it gets crowded sometimes, so you’ll have company.

Wednesday the 22nd brings a bump in size to 4 to 5 feet, but the wind swings onshore from the SW, and it gets messy. The combined energy jumps to 498 and then 861, but the quality drops. By Thursday the 23rd, the swell is 6 feet with a 14 to 15 second period, and the combined energy is strong at 1246 to 1473. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but the forecast is only marginal. It’s a bigger swell, but not the best.

Now, the standout is Monday the 27th of July. The morning shows 5 feet, but the afternoon is the one: 6 feet from the SSW with a very long period of 17 seconds. The combined energy is massive at 2986, and it’s clean. That’s a proper groundswell. For a reef break like Rhino Head, that long-period energy is going to give you some beautiful lines. The wind is cross-offshore, so the waves will be shaped well. This is the best on offer, but it’s over 8 feet, so only for the experienced crew.

After that, it gets rough. From Tuesday the 28th through to Thursday the 30th, the wind is onshore from the east, and the swell is either too big or too choppy. Friday the 31st of July sees a huge 8-foot swell from the SSW with a 17-second period, and the combined energy is an enormous 5429. That’s a very strong, powerful swell, but the wind is cross-onshore from the east, making it ugly. Only for the experts.

The final weekend into August has some size—5 to 6 feet—but the wind stays onshore, and the quality is poor to marginal. The long-range stuff is promising but less certain.

So, to cut it short: the first real window is Monday the 20th to Tuesday the 21st for clean, smaller waves. The absolute standout is Monday the 27th of July afternoon for the big, long-period groundswell. Don’t miss it.

Rusty.

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