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The Heads Surf Forecast
/ Garden Route (22 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surfForecast / Garden Route / South Africa
48hr Weather and Surf, issued 7 am Wednesday 13 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
The Heads surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's The Heads sea temperature is
18.7° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)How big are the waves at The Heads today?
The current surf forecast for The Heads at 2PM is: 5.0m 13s primary swell from a Southwest direction and 0.4m 10s secondary swell from a South-southeast direction (forecast issued at 07:00am May 13). The wind direction is predicted to be cross-shore and the swell rating is 11.
| Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height | Wave Period |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (13 May) | 18ft (5.5m) | 13s |
| Afternoon (13 May) | 16ft (5.0m) | 13s |
| Evening (13 May) | 15ft (4.5m) | 13s |
Table - waves today at The Heads. (Swell directed towards the surf break)
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Wed morning, calm by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 13 | Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Sat 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 AM | 8 AM | 11 AM | 2 PM | 5 PM | 8 PM | 11 PM | 2 AM | 5 AM | 8 AM | 11 AM | 2 PM | 5 PM | 8 PM | 11 PM | 2 AM | 5 AM | 8 AM | 11 AM | 2 PM | 5 PM | 8 PM | 11 PM | 2 AM | |
Swell Height Map |    |    |    |    | ||||||||||||||||||||
SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | |
8867 | 9902 | 9952 | 9220 | 9838 | 6406 | 4865 | 4088 | 3560 | 2979 | 2545 | 2113 | 1815 | 1474 | 1291 | 1056 | 3293 | 2785 | 3208 | 2946 | 2670 | 2333 | 1849 | 1810 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | off | glassy | |
High Tide | 1:13PM1.44m | 1:28AM1.72m | 1:57PM1.56m | 2:10AM1.83m | 2:39PM1.66m | |||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 7:07AM0.31m | 7:09PM0.32m | 7:50AM0.16m | 7:54PM0.21m | 8:32AM0.05m | 8:38PM0.13m | ||||||||||||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:13 |
 | — | — | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:34 |
— | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 |
 kJ | 13 | 24 | 38 | 39 | 7767 | 6406 | 4865 | 4088 | 3560 | 2979 | 2545 | 2113 | 1815 | 1474 | 1291 | 1056 | 3293 | 2785 | 3208 | 2946 | 2670 | 2333 | 1849 | 1810 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 20 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SSW 18 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | SW 16 | SW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 11 | SW 12 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 15 | 15 | 32 | 155 | 343 | 958 | 130 | 486 | 476 | 476 | 477 | 468 | 524 | 604 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 11 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | 49 | 50 | 466 | 254 | 165 | 179 | 238 | 280 | 227 | 348 | 532 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 8867 | 9902 | 9952 | 9220 | 9838 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 483 | 483 | 499 | 424 | 423 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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