Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 13s period, SW swell with 6,080 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s 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 Tuesday (Aug 04) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Heads in the next 16 days are 4.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s heading our way.
We’ve got a run of surf coming through, but it starts with a bang and then gets a bit tricky. The first real action is Tuesday afternoon, August 4th, at The Heads. Swell is a clean 4ft from the SW, with a solid 11-second period pushing in. The wind is glassy, a light WSW breeze at 3 mph, so the surface will be clean. The water is sitting at 63°, which is bang on average for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate at 702, but it’s all about the conditions for this one. Expect very good surf.
The standout session is Thursday morning, August 6th. The swell is pushing 12ft from the SW, with a period of 13 seconds. That’s a lot of water, and the combined energy is a strong 3703. This is for experienced surfers only, as it will be too big for most. The wind is a light cross-onshore, which is a bit of a shame as it puts a slight ripple on the face. Still, the power is undeniable.
Friday morning, August 7th, is another top call. The swell drops to a still-sizeable 8ft from the SW, with a 14-second period, and it’s glassy. The combined energy is 2731. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. Saturday morning, August 8th, is a repeat with 8ft SW swell, 14 seconds, and glassy conditions.
Things get messy from Sunday, August 9th, through Monday, August 10th, with strong winds and big, lumpy swell. The combined energy hits 9931 on Sunday morning, but with 16 mph winds, it’s a write-off for paddling – that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.
The second week has some promising moments. Tuesday morning, August 11th, sees a cleaner 7ft SSE swell with a cross-off breeze. Then Wednesday morning, August 12th, is a real gem: a 5ft SSW swell with a very long 19-second period, light offshore wind, and a combined energy of 3451. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers. Thursday morning, August 13th, is similar but smaller at 4ft, also with a 19-second period and clean.
Friday morning, August 14th, offers a clean 5ft SW swell with glassy conditions. Saturday morning, August 15th, is small but glassy with 4ft SW swell.
The big story is Monday, August 17th. The afternoon glass-off sees a massive 12ft SW swell with a 13-second period and a combined energy of 7111. That’s too big for this spot, but it’s impressive to see. Tuesday morning, August 18th, is another 10ft SW swell with glassy conditions for the experts.
For the best of the 16 days, I’d be looking at Friday morning, August 7th, for the excellent conditions and manageable size, and Wednesday morning, August 12th, for the long-period groundswell and clean conditions. The Heads is a sandbar, so that long period might make it break a bit straight, but the quality will be there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the SW by Sun morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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 11 | ESE 10 | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 350 | 288 | 780 | 2066 | 2680 | 3615 | 2610 | 1999 | 2686 | 3178 | 3566 | 2521 | 1904 | 4293 | 5315 | 3071 | 1141 | 1505 | 1316 | 904 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:04PM1.62m | 7:21AM1.37m | 7:51PM1.50m | 8:19AM1.23m | 9:00PM1.37m | 9:56AM1.14m | 10:48PM1.31m | 12:01PM1.18m | 00:33AM1.38m | 1:23PM1.34m | 1:42AM1.52m | 2:17PM1.54m | 2:33AM1.66m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:23AM0.37m | 1:24PM0.39m | 2:18AM0.48m | 2:22PM0.53m | 3:41AM0.58m | 3:58PM0.63m | 5:38AM0.57m | 6:03PM0.60m | 7:09AM0.44m | 7:29PM0.46m | 8:06AM0.28m | 8:26PM0.29m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — |
 | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 7 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Temp °C | 22 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 20 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | E 10 | SW 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 |
| kJ | 349 | 288 | 780 | 2066 | 2680 | 3615 | 2610 | 1999 | 2686 | 3178 | 3566 | 2521 | 1904 | 4293 | 4597 | 18 | 1141 | 1505 | 1316 | 904 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 11 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | — | SSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 |
| kJ | 350 | 220 | 240 | 200 | 157 | 88 | 64 | 67 | 45 | 44 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 19 | — | 616 | 453 | 286 | 132 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 3 | SSW 15 | SW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 16 |
| kJ | 3 | 86 | 117 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 18 | 17 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 4 | — | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | — | E 10 |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | 5315 | 3071 | 749 | 844 | — | 17 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 2929 | 483 | 481 | 497 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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