The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie and listen up. Rusty here, and I've been staring at the charts for The Heads. Monday morning is already looking glassy with a clean 4ft SSW groundswell churning a solid 508 of energy. Water's sitting at about 62°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.

Monday kicks it off real sweet. Dead calm winds, that 4ft swell from the SSW wrapping in with a 10-second period – that's proper groundswell, not some windswell slop. Sets will have some push and the lineups will breathe between them, making the paddle out easier. It's a "fairly consistent" sandbar break here, so you can expect waves to keep coming. If you're out there early, you'll have a real good chance at snagging clean ones before it gets "sometimes" busy.

Tuesday turns a bit average with light cross-onshore breezes, so the surface gets those first wrinkles.

Then Wednesday morning is back to glassy with a clean 3ft wave. Nice little lull in the size, but perfect for a longer board or a cruisy session.

But check this – Thursday morning is a standout. We’re looking at a solid 8ft SW groundswell, a 14-second period, and zero wind. That’s huge, high-quality energy hitting the bank with 2699 of energy behind it. The water will be clean as a mirror. This one is not for groms or beginners; that size over 8ft means you need respect and experience. For the crew who know what they’re doing, this is the pick of the week.

Friday and Saturday stay solid – Friday sees some funky cross-winds putting a chop on the face, but Saturday morning cleans right up with a light offshore breeze from the ENE and a 5ft S swell hanging around.

Sunday and Monday drop off again – wind picks up, waves get messy. That’s normal.

Now, for the second week, things get big but tricky. On Tuesday, the 21st of July, an offshore NW wind of 15 mph hits a chunky 8ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period – that's very long period and will jack up. But by Tuesday afternoon, the swell pumps up to 12ft from the SW with over 5300 energy. That's monstrous for a sandbar. Too big for this break for most paddlers. That setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, if you ask me.

Wednesday the 22nd stays big, 10-13ft from the SW, but the wind comes onshore from the ESE. It's messy and too big for a good time on a normal board. Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th both offer 10-12ft swells with cleaner winds again, but again, only for the absolute experts. The swell directions (SW) are a bit off The Heads’ preferred SSE, but it’s still hitting the bank.

Over that last weekend into Monday the 28th, we finally see the size drop back under 7ft with more glassy mornings – much more manageable.

Overall, your best windows are Thursday the 16th for experienced surfers, and maybe Tuesday the 21st morning for the brave. For the rest, wait for the cleaner but smaller days at the start.

Rusty.

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