Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 6 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 6,756 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 31 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Heads this week:
The surf forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Heads in the next 16 days are 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 31st Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk The Heads. It’s a sandbar break, gets good exposure, and really lights up when the swell’s from the SSE. Water temp is about where it should be for this time of year.
We kick off strong Friday morning (July 31st) . Swell’s a clean 4ft from the SW with a light offshore breeze out of the ENE. Wave energy is solid (1177), and it’s looking clean and glassy. Nice one.
Saturday morning (August 1st) steps it up – 8ft of east swell, period around 9 seconds. A whisper-light cross-off wind from the ENE. That’s a big, clean wave for experienced surfers, with strong energy (2047). Saturday afternoon is more average with a side wind.
Sunday (August 2nd) is a beauty. Morning is dead calm, glassy, with a 6ft ESE swell. Clean and fun (1034). Then Sunday afternoon gets even better: 7ft ESE swell with a 12-second period and glassy conditions. That longer period groundswell will reel off nicely. This is a standout (1540).
Monday morning (August 3rd) keeps it clean – 5ft ESE swell, 11 seconds, with a light offshore (1101).
From Tuesday (August 4th) into Wednesday morning (August 5th) , things go quiet and the wind gets messy. Then Wednesday afternoon (August 5th) hits hard: 10ft of SW groundswell with a very long 14-second period. Massive energy (3736) and glassy. Experts only at that size.
Thursday afternoon (August 6th) is the big one – 10ft SW swell, 15-second period, and dead calm. The energy is enormous (4565). That’s the wave of the outlook. Glassy, powerful, and huge.
Friday morning (August 7th) still has that 10ft SW swell with glassy winds (3402). Get on it early before the wind swings.
Saturday (August 8th) holds good: 8ft SW swell with clean offshore winds in the morning (1807), then stays clean in the afternoon (1336).
Sunday (August 9th) through Tuesday (August 11th) is mixed. Tuesday morning (August 11th) has a solid 8ft SSW swell with a clean cross-off (2076).
Wednesday morning (August 12th) sees a gigantic 13ft SSE swell (3492) – way too big for this break. Hard pass. Afternoon is windy and ugly.
From Thursday (August 13th) through Friday (August 14th) , it’s poor – onshore winds, rain, and dropping swell. Sit it out.
Saturday morning (August 15th) finishes on a high: 7ft SW groundswell with a light offshore from the NNE and clean conditions (1228).
Top picks: For experienced surfers, Sunday afternoon (August 2nd) glassy session and that massive Thursday afternoon (August 6th) 10ft SW groundswell with glass are the best. Don’t sleep on ’em.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | ESE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 769 | 591 | 590 | 973 | 1064 | 828 | 908 | 534 | 1159 | 655 | 561 | 451 | 688 | 561 | 411 | 191 | 2653 | 3619 | 2708 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:33AM1.68m | 4:56PM1.75m | 5:01AM1.68m | 5:24PM1.77m | 5:31AM1.64m | 5:54PM1.75m | 6:03AM1.58m | 6:27PM1.70m | 6:39AM1.49m | 7:04PM1.62m | 7:21AM1.37m | 7:51PM1.50m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:32PM0.22m | 10:42AM0.08m | 11:02PM0.19m | 11:09AM0.08m | 11:32PM0.20m | 11:37AM0.11m | 00:05AM0.23m | 12:08PM0.18m | 00:40AM0.29m | 12:42PM0.27m | 1:23AM0.37m | 1:24PM0.39m | 2:18AM0.48m | ||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — |
 | 5:45 | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 |
Feels °C | 12 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | ESE 9 | SW 12 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SW 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 7 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 769 | 471 | 374 | 621 | 744 | 127 | 651 | 534 | 1159 | 655 | 561 | 451 | 688 | 561 | 411 | 138 | 2653 | 3619 | 2708 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | SW 13 | — | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 9 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 |
| kJ | 170 | 591 | — | 240 | 153 | 74 | 235 | 340 | 374 | 236 | 537 | 361 | 349 | 294 | 240 | 173 | 160 | 117 | 81 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | — | — | SW 17 | SW 16 | — | S 10 | ESE 14 | S 9 | SSW 14 | S 13 | SW 14 | — | — | — | SW 11 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 176 | — | — | 44 | 86 | — | 18 | 160 | 7 | 264 | 3 | 251 | — | — | — | 191 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | WSW 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 115 | 590 | 973 | 1064 | 828 | 908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 42 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Heads surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the The Heads Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Heads provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Heads can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Heads 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 (The Heads) 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 The Heads 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 Garden Route? If you are looking for accommodation near The Heads, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Garden Route, consider staying in Knysna which is 4 km (2 miles) away. Other places in and around Garden Route where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Plettenberg Bay which is 28 km (17 miles) away, George, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn.
Nearest