
Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 16s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s period, SW swell with 3,026 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s period with SSW 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.5m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 1.7m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Heads in the next 16 days are 2.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM. 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+) | 11PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for The Heads. We've got a bit of a slow start, but there's some serious muscle coming in the back half.
Right now, we’re looking at a bit of a lull to kick things off. The first real action doesn’t fire up until Monday the 13th. For the next few days, the swell is small and the wind is a bit messy. We’ve got a moderate wave energy (678) on the 12th, but it's a cross-shore chop with a 5ft SSW swell. Not worth getting too excited about.
Monday the 13th morning is where it starts to get interesting. We’ve got a clean 4ft SSW groundswell (10-second period) with glassy conditions and a slight air. Water temp is sitting at 62°, which is a touch cooler than normal for this time of year by about 1°. It's a solid little window for a dawny.
The real standout, though, looks like Wednesday the 15th afternoon. That’s when the magic happens. A 3ft SW groundswell, but check this out – a period of 17 seconds and combined energy of 1150. The wind goes glassy, and it's clean. That’s the kind of long-period pulse that will wrap beautifully around The Heads, giving you some proper shape. It's a sandbar setup, so don’t expect a perfect point break reeling off, but with that period, the sets will have some real push and the paddle out will be easy between waves. This is the one to circle in your calendar. Crowds can be an issue here sometimes, so you’ll want to be early.
Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th see the size jump up to 8ft from the SW, but the wind is cross or cross-on, and there's a bit of rain on Friday. The energy is strong (over 1600), but the conditions aren't as clean. This gets more into intermediate territory and might be a bit much for groms.
After a quick drop in size on the 18th and 19th, there's another window worth a mention. Monday the 20th afternoon sees a 6ft WSW swell with a short 8-second period and clean, cross-off breezes. It’s a bit crumbly with that short period, but the wind is good.
Now, for the second week, we have to look at this with a pinch of salt, but the models are hinting at something big. From the 21st, the groundswell from the SSW comes in with serious power. The afternoon of the 22nd is a real standout for the experienced crew. We're talking an 8ft SW swell, glassy conditions, and an energy reading of 2502. That’s proper.
The 24th and 25th of July are just massive. We're looking at 15ft SW swells. The models say the wind and tide are favorable, but at that size, it's going to be charging. The combined energy is over 9500 – that's very strong. This is expert territory only. For the average surfer, that's a "watch from the cliff" kind of day. And with that long 16-second period, a beach break like The Heads could close out a bit, so the paddle out might be a mission.
So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Wednesday the 15th afternoon for a clean, long-period swell. For the bigger, more powerful stuff, keep an eye on the 22nd afternoon for a glassy, expert-level session. After that, it’s just a series of huge, potentially unmanageable swells for most.
Stay stoked,
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
452 | 353 | 279 | 231 | 256 | 328 | 300 | 248 | 169 | 580 | 3026 | 2289 | 1776 | 1703 | 1628 | 1128 | 839 | 375 | 231 | 529 | 411 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross | glassy | cross | glassy | off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross |
High Tide | 2:17PM1.51m | 2:34AM1.69m | 3:08PM1.65m | 3:23AM1.77m | 3:53PM1.76m | 4:08AM1.79m | 4:37PM1.83m | 4:50AM1.77m | 5:18PM1.85m | 5:30AM1.70m | 5:58PM1.81m | 6:09AM1.60m | 6:37PM1.73m | 6:47AM1.48m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:21PM0.30m | 8:57AM0.13m | 9:15PM0.19m | 9:43AM0.05m | 10:03PM0.12m | 10:24AM0.00m | 10:48PM0.10m | 11:03AM0.00m | 11:31PM0.12m | 11:41AM0.05m | 00:12AM0.20m | 12:17PM0.14m | 00:52AM0.30m | 12:52PM0.26m | |||||||
— | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | |
5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | 5:37 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 21 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | S 11 | SW 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
452 | 209 | 214 | 231 | 256 | 328 | 300 | 248 | 169 | 437 | 3026 | 2289 | 1776 | 1703 | 1628 | 1128 | 839 | 375 | 196 | 529 | 411 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SW 9 | SW 4 | SW 6 | SW 17 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 10 | S 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
25 | 353 | 279 | 218 | 125 | 78 | 43 | 7 | 32 | 580 | 88 | 90 | 69 | 76 | 55 | 54 | 51 | 192 | 231 | 283 | 331 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 11 | SSW 15 | W 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 18 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | E 8 | E 9 |
3 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 63 | 28 | 41 | 40 | 79 | 133 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 73 | 75 | 115 | 153 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | WSW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 6 | — | — | — | — |
201 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 96 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 26 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
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.











