The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for The Heads.

First up, it’s a slow start. Friday and Saturday are pretty average—wind is on it or cross, and the swell is a bit messy. You’re looking at a combined energy reading of 1256 on Friday morning, dropping off, but the wind is wrong for clean takeoffs. Saturday is even worse, with a moderate cross-chop and poor conditions. Not worth paddling out.

Sunday the 23rd is where it starts to get interesting. Sunday morning we’ve got glassy conditions at The Heads, wind is light from the south at 3 mph, dead calm. Swell is a solid 8 ft from the SW with 11 seconds of period. That’s proper groundswell, with a combined energy of 1544 (moderate-strong energy). The set waves will have some punch, but the period is a bit short for building a real top-to-bottom wall. Still, for experienced surfers, this is the pick of the week. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing weird.

Monday through Wednesday morning is a bit of a mixed bag. Monday (24th) is marginal, with light cross-onshore winds and 6 ft swell. Tuesday morning (25th) sees a bigger 8 ft swell from the SW, with a 14-second period (long period groundswell) and combined energy hitting 2687. That’s a lot of energy. But the wind is cross-on, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. Still, if you’re experienced, you’ll find some power. Wednesday morning (26th) has 6 ft swell but the wind picks up again, making it choppy.

Now, Thursday the 27th afternoon, we get a 5 ft swell from the S with a 14-second period, combined energy of 1520, and light cross-shore wind. That’s a bit better, but still not a standout.

The real highlight for the first week is Friday the 28th morning. The Heads has clean conditions with offshore wind from the north at 3 mph, and a 4 ft swell from the S, 11-second period. The combined energy is 969 (moderate). It’s not big, but it’s clean, and the wind is perfect. That’s a morning session to set your alarm for.

Saturday the 29th is small again, 4 ft, but cross-shore wind. Not great.

Now, we’ve got a gap of a few days with no real quality surf until Tuesday the 1st of September. On Tuesday morning, the wind is cross-offshore from the ENE at 9 mph, swell is 6 ft from the SSE, 8-second period. Combined energy is 1043. The wind is favourable, but the short period (under 8 seconds) means it’ll be a bit weak and choppy. Still, it’s clean.

Then, Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd get bigger, but the wind is problematic. Thursday afternoon (3rd) sees a massive 13 ft swell from the SW with a 17-second period—very long period groundswell. Combined energy is 8698, which is strong. But the forecast says it’s too big for this break. Same for Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th, with 16 ft swells and similar energy. That’s for expert-level big wave chargers only, and only if the tide is right. The wind is light on Thursday afternoon, but at that size, it’s a whole different beast.

So, the best on offer is Sunday morning the 23rd (glassy, 8 ft SW groundswell) and Friday morning the 28th (offshore, clean, 4 ft S swell). The big stuff in early September is for experts only, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Rusty out.

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