The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into the outlook for The Heads. It’s a sandbar break, fairly consistent, and it looks like we’ve got a real mixed bag of a forecast ahead. The water is running a frigid 59° compared to what’s normal for this time of year, which is a big anomaly of 4° colder, so it’s much colder than usual – don’t forget the thick rubber.

The first window of real interest is Thursday the 10th of September, but it’s a bit of a tease. We’ve got a solid 7 ft of SW groundswell pushing through with a 15-second period, which is a proper long-period groundswell. The energy is very strong at 1845, but the wind is a cross-on 6 mph, and the conditions are described as marginal. The water temp is way colder than normal, so it’s a tough ask for a score.

Friday the 11th is mushy, with the swell dropping to 5 ft and the period shortening to 13 seconds. The wind is light cross-on but the energy is moderate at 910. Not great.

Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are a write-off for quality. The swell tries to build again, but we’re dealing with messy cross-shore winds and lumpy chop. The energy on Saturday afternoon is strong at 2339, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore. No good for clean lines.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Look to Monday the 14th of September morning. The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the NW at 6 mph, and the sea state is clean. The swell is 8 ft from the ESE with a 10-second period, which isn’t the longest, but with the combined energy still strong at 1471, there will be some punchy waves. This is for experienced surfers only, as it’s over 7 ft. The wind is clean, but the crowd profile says “sometimes” so you might have a few for company.

Tuesday the 15th of September morning is the standout. The wind drops to a glassy 3 mph from the W, and the conditions are described as “glassy.” The swell is a cleaner 5 ft from the E with a 11-second period, offering moderate energy at 756. This is the kind of morning where you paddle out in the calm and get the best of the bank. The smaller size and glassy conditions make it the best overall option for the intermediate surfer.

The middle of the week, Wednesday the 16th, has a monster 10 ft SW swell piling in with a 15-second period, producing massive energy at 4394. The Wednesday morning light rain and onshore wind make it a mess, but Wednesday afternoon cleans up. The wind goes glassy, the swell drops to 7 ft but still has a 14-second period and strong energy at 2366. This is a serious session for the experts only, and the glassy conditions will make those big sets look perfect.

After that, things get marginal again. The wind picks up from the east from Thursday the 17th through the weekend, keeping the sea choppy. The swell stays in the 5 ft to 7 ft range, but the cross-shore and cross-on winds ruin the shape. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during these days.

Into the second week, the pattern is more of the same. The swell drops off and the wind stays on the east-southeast, keeping the ocean messy. The morning of Friday the 18th of September has a clean light cross-offshore breeze with 5 ft of 12-second SW swell, but the energy is moderate at 829. It’s worth a look if you’re desperate.

The best call in the long range is Thursday the 24th of September afternoon. The wind goes glassy from the WSW, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break at 12 ft from the ESE. The energy is strong at 1875. The same goes for Friday the 25th of September morning with 12 ft waves and a cross-shore 12 mph wind. This is big, unruly, and only for the brave or the heavily equipped. It’s more of a novelty than a clean session.

So, overall, the standout sessions are Tuesday the 15th morning for the glassy, clean conditions and Monday the 14th morning for the clean, punchy swell. The big Wednesday afternoon session is a major one for experts.

Rusty.

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