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The Heads Surf Forecast
/ Garden Route (22 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surfForecast / Garden Route / South Africa
16 Day 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)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 Thursday (Apr 23) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 2.1m and 7s. 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 5.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Apr 28) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 23rd Apr) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Mon 27th Apr) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 28th Apr) | 18ft (5.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
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. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Sun morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 | WSW 9 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | |
3773 | 2019 | 938 | 437 | 404 | 339 | 281 | 171 | 134 | 196 | 287 | 1667 | 3793 | 6508 | 12087 | 6937 | 5928 | 3477 | 2641 | 2329 | 1163 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | off | off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | off | |
High Tide | 8:49PM1.24m | 9:34AM1.15m | 10:49PM1.26m | 11:31AM1.18m | 00:11AM1.38m | 12:41PM1.28m | 1:03AM1.51m | 1:27PM1.39m | 1:42AM1.61m | 2:04PM1.48m | 2:14AM1.69m | 2:36PM1.55m | 2:45AM1.74m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:13PM0.56m | 3:19AM0.67m | 4:04PM0.62m | 5:27AM0.64m | 5:44PM0.57m | 6:43AM0.51m | 6:45PM0.47m | 7:30AM0.38m | 7:29PM0.38m | 8:05AM0.28m | 8:04PM0.30m | 8:35AM0.20m | 8:35PM0.25m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 18 | 21 | 16 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
15 | 16 | 12 | 24 | 27 | 24 | 28 | 30 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | SSW 11 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SW 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 |
 kJ | 3773 | 2019 | 319 | 422 | 290 | 339 | 281 | 162 | 133 | 196 | 99 | 65 | 50 | 33 | 10623 | 6937 | 5928 | 3477 | 2641 | 2329 | 1163 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | E 9 | SW 15 | SSE 14 | — | — | E 11 | SW 11 | E 10 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | 938 | 437 | 296 | 186 | 224 | 171 | 134 | 103 | 34 | 18 | — | — | 20 | 273 | 8 | 388 | 311 | 257 | 162 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | E 10 | SW 15 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 8 | 104 | 275 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | ESE 6 | E 8 | — | ESE 9 | — | — | SW 3 | SW 4 | — | SW 9 | WSW 9 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SSW 14 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 52 | 363 | 585 | — | 404 | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | 287 | 1667 | 3793 | 6508 | 12087 | 1037 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 496 | 499 | 499 | 387 | 88 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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