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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 Thursday 23 Apr 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
18.8° 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 11AM is: 3.0m 14s primary swell from a South-southwest direction (forecast issued at 07:00am April 23). An open ocean swell of 1.1m 5s is not directed at the surf break. The wind direction is predicted to be cross-shore.
| Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height | Wave Period |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (23 Apr) | 10ft (3.0m) | 14s |
| Afternoon (23 Apr) | 8ft (2.5m) | 14s |
| Evening (23 Apr) | 7ft (2.1m) | 13s |
Table - waves today at The Heads. (Swell directed towards the surf break)
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sun 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 |    |    |    |    | ||||||||||||||||||||
SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SW 11 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SW 11 | |
5153 | 4399 | 3773 | 3068 | 2019 | 1561 | 1236 | 938 | 774 | 548 | 437 | 385 | 404 | 498 | 394 | 339 | 318 | 287 | 281 | 241 | 171 | 175 | 168 | 134 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | |
High Tide | 7:47AM1.28m | 8:49PM1.24m | 9:34AM1.15m | 10:49PM1.26m | 11:31AM1.18m | 00:11AM1.38m | ||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 2:13PM0.56m | 3:19AM0.67m | 4:04PM0.62m | 5:27AM0.64m | 5:44PM0.57m | |||||||||||||||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6:58 |
 | — | — | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 29 | 31 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
10 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 28 | 30 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 11 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
 kJ | 5153 | 4399 | 3773 | 3068 | 2019 | 1561 | 1236 | 319 | 327 | 404 | 422 | 385 | 290 | 355 | 394 | 339 | 318 | 287 | 281 | 225 | 162 | 175 | 168 | 133 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 938 | 774 | 548 | 437 | 361 | 296 | 217 | 210 | 186 | 211 | 228 | 224 | 241 | 171 | 168 | 140 | 134 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 25 | 25 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 4 | E 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | — | ESE 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 2 | SW 3 | W 4 | WSW 4 | SW 4 |
| kJ | — | 19 | 52 | 59 | 363 | 571 | 408 | 585 | 517 | — | — | — | 404 | 498 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 11 | 11 | 343 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
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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