The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a solid 16-day window of surf on offer at The Heads, but it kicks off with a bit of a slow start. The first couple of days are pretty average, don’t get too excited just yet. The real action starts building from mid-week and into the weekend, with a few standout sessions that’ll get the blood pumping.

The water temp is sitting at 63°, which is bang on average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Tuesday morning kicks off messy at The Heads with a small 4ft SW swell, but the wind is cross and it’s just not clean. The energy is pretty weak (739). Tuesday afternoon is a different story though – the wind drops to glassy, that same 4ft SW swell cleans right up. It’s a small wave, but it’ll be glassy and fun for a low-key session.

Wednesday morning sees a jump in the swell – 4ft from the SSW, and the period stretches out to 15 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy. The energy reading is 1137, and the wind is light cross, but the forecast says it’s marginal. Wednesday afternoon, however, the swell pushes to 7ft from the SW at 16 seconds – that’s a really long period. The energy is cranking at 2105, but the wind is onshore from the S, making it messy. The Heads aren’t the best for that kind of long-period groundswell with onshore wind; it’s going to be a bit of a battle.

Thursday morning brings a big 10ft SW swell at 13 seconds, with energy at 3445. That’s serious power. But the wind is cross from the WSW, and the forecast is calling it marginal. The afternoon is 8ft from the SW, still big, but with cross-on wind from the SW. This is getting into expert territory for sure – over 8ft, it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Friday morning is the first real standout. The swell is 8ft from the SW at 14 seconds, and the wind is cross-off from the WNW, giving us clean conditions. The energy is strong (2677). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers at The Heads. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might get a few out, but it’s a window to score.

Saturday morning is still good – 8ft SW at 14 seconds, with light cross wind from the W. Clean, but the energy is 2288. Sunday morning brings another strong pulse – 8ft SW at 13 seconds, cross-off wind from the W at 15 mph, energy at 2389. It’s clean, but the wind is gusty – still a solid session for the brave.

The energy drops a bit into the next week, but there are some gems. Monday afternoon on the 10th of August is worth a look – 10ft from the SE at 10 seconds, but the wind is light cross from the E. Energy is 4756, but it’s a beach break setup, so that long period isn’t ideal. More of a kite surfing day, to be honest.

Tuesday morning on the 11th of August is a proper standout. 8ft from the S at 10 seconds, cross-off wind from the ENE at 9 mph, giving us clean conditions. Energy is 2035. Good for experienced surfers.

Thursday morning on the 13th of August is the absolute peak of the whole forecast. Glassy, with a 7ft SW swell at 17 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is a massive 4696. The wind is glassy from the N. This is the best session on offer. For The Heads, that long period from the SW is going to stack up nicely. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you’ll want to be early.

The following week sees smaller, more manageable waves, but still some good moments. Friday morning the 14th is glassy again with a 6ft ESE swell at 11 seconds, energy 1731. Wednesday morning the 19th is another glassy, clean session with 7ft from the SW at 12 seconds, energy 1338. Good for a solid session.

There’s a bit of a gap in the middle of the second week, with the 15th and 16th being pretty weak and not worth paddling out for. The 17th and 18th are marginal, but the 19th morning is a classic.

So if you’re picking one, make it the morning of Thursday the 13th of August at The Heads. That’s the one to circle. For a second pick, the morning of Friday the 7th of August is also a ripper.

Rusty.

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