Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 9,787 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 12s period with S 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.5m and 9s. 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 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've got the outlook for The Heads. This is a sandbar setup that's fairly consistent, but we're in for a real mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The water is sitting at 60°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you'll want a decent wetsuit.
The best of the early action is this Thursday morning, the 27th of August. We've got a clean 7ft SSW swell with a 12-second period, and a light east-northeast cross-offshore breeze. The combined swell energy is a solid 1645, which is strong, making for some punchy, well-shaped waves. It's a bit on the bigger side, so this is really for experienced surfers, but the conditions are excellent.
From Thursday afternoon, things start to drop off. The swell eases and the wind turns more cross-shore, making for marginal surf through Friday and into the weekend. By Saturday morning, the swell is down to 3ft, and it gets pretty poor with a gentle cross-shore breeze. Sunday sees a pulse of SW swell, but it's cross-on and choppy, so not the one.
We've got a gap of poor to marginal surf from late Thursday through to the end of the month. The first week of September kicks off with a bigger 7ft SW swell on Tuesday the 1st, but it's onshore and messy. Then Wednesday the 2nd brings a massive 13ft SW swell with a nice 14-second period, but it's way too big for this break – only for the absolute crazies, and the wind is onshore anyway. That huge energy hits 6175, but it's not for paddling.
Things get properly messy from the 3rd to the 5th with strong onshore winds and big, unruly swell. There's a small window on Saturday the 6th of September. The morning looks clean with a 6ft ESE swell and a light east-northeast cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy is still a strong 1747, and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers again. The following Monday morning, the 7th, also has a clean 6ft ESE swell with a light offshore north-northeast wind and a 12-second period, giving it nice shape. These two mornings are the real standouts in the second week.
After that, the swell drops right off into small, weak, and choppy conditions from the 8th to the 10th of September. The energy drops to weak levels, around 278. Then on the 11th and 12th, there's another big pulse of SW swell, but again, it's too big for the break, with 13ft waves and strong energy. It's a tough outlook for the most part, but those few clean sessions are worth chasing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1090 | 649 | 699 | 467 | 335 | 351 | 251 | 175 | 241 | 513 | 1094 | 913 | 713 | 726 | 716 | 1524 | 1665 | 3916 | 9787 | 8112 | 4957 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 3:32PM1.75m | 3:40AM1.72m | 3:59PM1.84m | 4:08AM1.76m | 4:26PM1.89m | 4:37AM1.76m | 4:54PM1.90m | 5:06AM1.72m | 5:24PM1.85m | 5:38AM1.64m | 5:57PM1.76m | 6:13AM1.53m | 6:34PM1.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:21AM0.12m | 9:39PM0.16m | 9:46AM0.05m | 10:07PM0.09m | 10:13AM0.01m | 10:35PM0.06m | 10:40AM0.01m | 11:05PM0.06m | 11:09AM0.05m | 11:36PM0.12m | 11:40AM0.14m | 00:11AM0.21m | 12:14PM0.26m | 00:51AM0.35m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — |
 | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 |
Temp °C | 26 | 28 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 24 | 27 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | ESE 8 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 1090 | 385 | 699 | 467 | 335 | 351 | 251 | 167 | 204 | 513 | 1094 | 913 | 713 | 726 | 716 | 1524 | 1665 | 3916 | 9787 | 8112 | 4957 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | S 12 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 14 | ESE 11 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 428 | 649 | 340 | 267 | 231 | 197 | 158 | 175 | 241 | 336 | 41 | 22 | 22 | 38 | 35 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | WSW 11 | SSE 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 127 | 299 | 11 | 47 | 160 | 155 | 162 | 123 | 92 | 92 | 20 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WSW 3 | — | ESE 10 | WSW 4 | SW 4 | SW 5 | — | — | — | — | WSW 6 | — | — | WSW 4 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 2 | — | 281 | 7 | 22 | 57 | — | — | — | — | 72 | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
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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