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Surf Forecasts:

The Heads surfForecast / Garden Route / South Africa

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 am Friday 24 Oct 2025 SAST
Forecast 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
18.5° C
 (Which is slightly warmer than usual)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Heads this week:

The surf forecast for The Heads over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Oct 24) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The Heads in the next 12 days are 5.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Oct 27) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Fri 24th Oct)10ft (3.0m) 14s
Best Surf 2PM (Mon 27th Oct)11ft (3.5m) 13s
Most Powerful 5PM (Mon 27th Oct)16ft (5.0m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 20°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
1
0
0
2
4
4
2
0
!
!
3
4
1
2
2
2
2
4
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
3
SW
2.5
SW
2.1
SW
1.8
SW
1.7
SW
2
SW
3
SW
2.5
SW
2.3
SW
3
SW
5
SW
4
SW
3.5
SW
3
SW
2.5
SW
2.4
SW
2.4
SW
3
SW
3
SSW
3
SSW
2.5
SSW
Period(s) (?)13121211108121212121414131313121213131413
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)314520961193773565542210719031524233186745937369728702204171017102800345028412299
Wind
(km/h)
15
SSE
15
SE
10
WSW
20
WSW
20
SW
15
WSW
10
WSW
5
W
10
WNW
15
WSW
20
SW
15
WNW
15
SW
10
SSW
10
NW
15
SW
10
WSW
15
E
25
ESE
20
ESE
15
WNW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
oncross-
on		crosscrosscross-
on		crosscross-
on		glasscross-
off		cross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
off		cross-
on		oncross-
off		cross-
on		cross-
on		crosscrosscrosscross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
4:43PM
1.64
5:02AM
1.52
5:09PM
1.54
5:30AM
1.43
5:37PM
1.44
6:03AM
1.32
6:11PM
1.32
6:49AM
1.21
7:00PM
1.20
8:13AM
1.13
8:42PM
1.10
10:24AM
1.17
10:55PM
1.14
Low Tide
/ height (m)
10:33AM
0.26
10:53PM
0.23
11:00AM
0.34
11:21PM
0.32
11:28AM
0.44
11:52PM
0.42
12:02PM
0.56
12:32AM
0.53
12:51PM
0.68
1:37AM
0.63
2:29PM
0.77
3:27AM
0.67
4:46PM
0.72
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Sunrise5:35--5:35--5:33--5:31--5:31--5:30--5:28--
Sunset-6:47--6:49--6:50--6:51--6:52--6:52--6:52-
clear
clear
rain showers
cloud
cloud
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
--2--231---------2---
Temp. °C202017161716141513181916191915191916202219
Feels °C (?)181718141412121412141414161715171716161820
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Eyeball surf reportRecent Eyeball Surf Reports for Garden Route

  1. weather stationWind Update Previously calm conditions have become cross-shore at The Heads (moderate winds from the W at SHIP7970 157 km from The Heads). 2.5m 11s groundswell from the SW with a 1.2m 14s groundswell, also from the SW. 2 swells combining so expect closeout sets.

    1 hour 4 minutes ago The Heads
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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.

View detailed surf forecast for The Heads at:
surf-forecast.com

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 12 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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