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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 1 pm Thursday 30 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 8PM is: 3.0m 16s primary swell from a South-southwest direction and 1.1m 11s secondary swell from a South-southeast direction (forecast issued at 01:00pm April 30). The wind direction is predicted to be cross-shore.
| Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height | Wave Period |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (30 Apr) | 6ft (1.8m) | 12s |
| Afternoon (30 Apr) | 5ft (1.5m) | 12s |
| Evening (30 Apr) | 10ft (3.0m) | 15s |
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 26°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu 30 | Friday 1 | Saturday 2 | Sun 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 | 5 AM | 8 AM | |
Swell Height Map |    |    |    |    | ||||||||||||||||||||
SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | |
797 | 623 | 2964 | 4007 | 4288 | 3875 | 3388 | 2782 | 2421 | 2440 | 2558 | 2415 | 2529 | 2499 | 2580 | 2335 | 1761 | 1416 | 1087 | 894 | 757 | 622 | 504 | 375 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | off | off | off | off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 3:06PM1.60m | 3:14AM1.75m | 3:35PM1.63m | 3:42AM1.74m | 4:03PM1.62m | 4:11AM1.70m | ||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 9:03AM0.15m | 9:05PM0.22m | 9:29AM0.13m | 9:33PM0.21m | 9:56AM0.13m | 10:01PM0.23m | ||||||||||||||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:03 | — |
 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | — | — | 5:45 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 |
 kJ | 797 | 623 | 2964 | 4007 | 4288 | 3875 | 3388 | 2782 | 2421 | 2440 | 2558 | 2415 | 2529 | 2499 | 2580 | 2335 | 1761 | 1416 | 1087 | 894 | 757 | 622 | 504 | 375 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
| kJ | 642 | 177 | 423 | 302 | 186 | 149 | 90 | 51 | 39 | 25 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 119 | 46 | 109 | 333 | 339 | 357 | 344 | 289 | 289 | 284 | 279 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SSW 13 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | — | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 9 | E 10 | S 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | S 14 | SSE 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 |
| kJ | 8 | 373 | 8 | 7 | 7 | — | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 153 | 73 | 73 | 72 | 106 | 69 | 82 | 154 | 222 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 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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