The Heads Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.07° S 23.06° E

The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 02 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Heads sea temperature is
15.5°C
1.8° 

The Heads surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Heads surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, E swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s period, SSW swell with 3,734 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 13s period with SW 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 8s. 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 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Thu 3rd Sep)7.5ft (2.3m) 13s
Best Surf 5AM (Mon 7th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 10s
Most Powerful 5PM (Sun 6th Sep)8ft (2.5m) 17s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

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

Right off the bat, things are messy. We’ve got a solid pulse of swell coming in, but the wind is just wrecking it. Wednesday the 2nd sees a 9.8ft SW groundswell at 13 seconds, but that SSE wind is blowin’ cross-on at 6 mph, making it bumpy. The water’s 59.9°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good hood. The combined energy is a strong 2831, but the quality is marginal. That afternoon, it drops to 8.2ft with an ESE wind, still choppy.

Thursday the 3rd starts with light rain and a 5.2ft SW swell, but the wind is still cross-on. The real story is Thursday afternoon: heavy rain, wind howlin’ at 22 mph from the SSE, and a 11.5ft short-period S swell at 9 seconds. That’s a total mess, combined energy of 2350, but it’s rated poor surf conditions. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle wave.

Friday the 4th is all cross-shore wind at 19 mph, with 8.2ft SE swell at 9 seconds. Lumpy, choppy, and no good. Saturday the 5th isn’t any better – wind stays cross-shore, swell drops to 6.9ft with a period of only 7 seconds. Weak, short, and messy.

Sunday the 6th is where things get interesting. The swell direction swings to the SSW, and the period jumps to 19 seconds – that’s long-period groundswell, real energy. The morning shows 6.2ft with combined energy of 3595, but the wind is cross-shore from the E at 12 mph, so it’s not clean. The afternoon pumps up to 8.2ft, 17-second period, and a massive 4805 combined energy. The wind is still cross-shore but a bit stronger. This is a big, powerful swell, but it’s still a bit lumpy. For a sandbar, that long period can make it break a bit straight, but there’s juice in the water.

Monday the 7th is a better bet. The wind finally swings offshore from the SW at 9 mph in the morning, with a 5.6ft SSW swell at 14 seconds. Combined energy is 2224. The morning is cross-on, but by afternoon, the wind turns cross-shore from the W at 9 mph, and the swell holds at 5.6ft, 14 seconds, with 1821 energy. The afternoon is cleaner, with a slight cross-chop, and the score is the best so far. This is the standout of the first week: clean-ish, decent size, good energy.

Tuesday the 8th morning is a gem – glassy offshore wind from the S at 3 mph, with a 3.6ft SW swell at 12 seconds. Combined energy is 707. It’s small, but it’ll be clean. The afternoon picks up a light cross-on breeze, swell drops to 3.0ft. After that, Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are tiny and weak, with combined energy dropping below 500. Not worth paddling out.

Friday the 11th sees a return of a 6.2ft SW swell at 13 seconds, with light cross-on wind from the WSW at 9 mph. Combined energy is 1415. It’s okay, but not a standout.

Now, the second week brings a big spike. Saturday the 12th has a 9.8ft ESE swell at 8 seconds in the morning, and by afternoon, it’s 11.5ft, 8 seconds, with a combined energy of 2132. The wind is light cross-on, but the swell is too big for The Heads – it’s rated as too big for this break. Sunday the 13th is even bigger: 11.5ft to 13.1ft, 9-10 second ESE swell, with fresh cross-shore wind at 19 mph. Again, too big. Save your energy.

Monday the 14th is the real standout of the whole period. The swell drops to 7.9ft from the ESE at 10 seconds, combined energy 1425, and the wind is light and offshore from the NE at 6 mph. That’s clean, glassy conditions. This is excellent surf, but the size is solid – it’s for experienced surfers. The break is fairly consistent, but crowds are possible, so get in early.

After that, the swell fades fast. Tuesday the 15th is small, 3.0ft, and weak. Wednesday the 16th picks up a little 4.9ft SSW groundswell at 18 seconds, with light cross-shore wind. Combined energy is 2632, but it’s a long-period swell, so it might be a bit too straight for the sandbar.

Thursday the 17th ends the run with a massive 11.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 46mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Thu afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
2
4
2
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
1
2
3
4
2
3
3
2
1
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
2.3
SW
13
1.6
SW
12
3.5
S
9
3.5
SSE
9
2.5
SE
9
2.5
ESE
8
2.5
ESE
8
2.1
ESE
7
2
ESE
7
2.2
ESE
7
1.9
SSW
19
2.5
SSW
17
1.9
SSW
15
2.4
ESE
10
1.7
SSW
14
1.5
SSW
13
1.1
SW
12
0.9
SW
12
0.7
SW
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2824
2340
1697
811
2003
2286
1012
848
736
444
372
458
2724
3734
1721
1126
1005
784
324
236
119
Wind (km/h)
10
SSE
15
ESE
5
ENE
10
SE
35
SSE
35
SE
30
ESE
30
ESE
20
E
20
E
30
ESE
20
E
20
E
25
E
10
ENE
15
SW
15
W
5
NNW
5
S
10
SSE
5
N
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross
glassy
on
cross-on
glassy
High Tide
6:34PM1.62m
6:54AM1.38m
7:20PM1.45m
7:52AM1.21m
8:36PM1.27m
9:53AM1.10m
10:59PM1.21m
12:15PM1.21m
00:43AM1.33m
1:22PM1.41m
1:40AM1.49m
2:07PM1.61m
2:23AM1.63m
Low Tide
12:14PM0.26m
00:51AM0.35m
12:56PM0.42m
1:45AM0.51m
1:58PM0.59m
3:22AM0.65m
4:09PM0.71m
5:49AM0.61m
6:29PM0.60m
7:09AM0.45m
7:36PM0.42m
7:57AM0.28m
8:22PM0.24m
clear
clear
part cloud
light rain
heavy rain
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:45
6:43
6:43
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:08
6:09
6:10
6:10
6:12
6:13
6:14
 mm
5
27
14
Temp °C
17
17
15
15
16
15
16
16
15
16
18
16
19
21
18
22
19
18
18
18
15
Feels °C
15
15
15
15
14
11
10
9
9
12
13
12
16
18
17
21
17
17
18
17
15
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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