
Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with 7,971 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 12s 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 (Jul 23) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 12s. 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 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let’s have a look at the forecast for The Heads.
The next sixteen days have some real promise, but you’ll need to pick your windows. The first few days are a bit messy, with a big swell building and a lot of wind to deal with. The real standouts come later, with some clean, glassy mornings that are worth getting out of bed for.
The standout session is Friday morning, July 24th. The swell is a solid 12ft, coming from the SSW with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and with the wind light and offshore from the ENE, it’s going to be clean. The combined energy is pumping at 6402 (strong to very strong wave energy). This is a big one, though. At 12ft, it’s only for experienced surfers who know what they’re doing at The Heads. This is a sandbar, and a long period swell like that can make it a bit tricky, but when it’s clean like this, it’s a gift.
The other real standout is Sunday morning, July 26th. It’s a smaller day, with 6ft of SW swell at 12 seconds, but the wind is glassy – dead calm from the North. The combined energy is 1395 (strong wave energy), and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. It’s going to be a beautiful, clean morning.
After that, there’s a few more solid windows. The morning of July 31st has 5ft of SW swell, glassy, with a combined energy of 1397 (strong wave energy). That’s a nice, clean option for the end of the month. August 1st morning also looks clean and glassy, with 5ft of E swell, but the period is a shorter 9 seconds, so it won’t have the same punch.
The biggest swells of the period, like the 12ft on the 24th and the 10ft plus days on the 28th and August 7th, are all for the experts. The 28th has an 12ft SSW swell with a 16-second period, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore, so it’s not as clean as the 24th. August 7th morning has a 10ft SW swell, but the wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s a bit bumpy.
For the first week of August, things settle down a bit. August 3rd morning has a 7ft ESE swell, glassy, with a short 7-second period. Combined energy is 858 (moderate wave energy). It’s clean, but short period means it’s a bit weaker. August 5th morning looks promising for the experienced crew, with 7ft of SSW swell at a very long 17 seconds, and a clean offshore from the NE. Combined energy is 3192 (strong to very strong wave energy). That’s a big, clean, long-period groundswell.
The Heads can get crowded sometimes, so keep that in mind for the best windows. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
Overall, it’s a mixed bag with a couple of proper gems. The 24th of July morning is the big one if you’ve got the skill, and the 26th of July morning is the one for the glassy, clean, smaller waves.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the E by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
599 | 1258 | 2032 | 3099 | 6350 | 4117 | 2471 | 1838 | 1975 | 1518 | 1013 | 747 | 1109 | 1065 | 1029 | 2808 | 3936 | 5672 | 3393 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross | off | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:54PM1.22m | 10:58AM1.05m | 11:34PM1.19m | 12:41PM1.10m | 00:56AM1.24m | 1:43PM1.21m | 1:50AM1.33m | 2:24PM1.32m | 2:30AM1.44m | 2:59PM1.44m | 3:04AM1.53m | 3:30PM1.55m | 3:35AM1.61m | ||||||
Low Tide | 4:36AM0.69m | 4:43PM0.75m | 6:22AM0.67m | 6:36PM0.72m | 7:32AM0.58m | 7:43PM0.63m | 8:16AM0.47m | 8:26PM0.52m | 8:50AM0.36m | 9:01PM0.42m | 9:20AM0.26m | 9:32PM0.33m | |||||||
— | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | |
5:39 | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 21 | 24 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | ESE 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
599 | 1258 | 125 | 2299 | 6350 | 4117 | 2471 | 1838 | 1975 | 1518 | 1013 | 747 | 1109 | 1065 | 1029 | 2808 | 3936 | 5672 | 3393 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | ESE 12 | S 22 | SSW 17 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 5 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | E 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | — | S 20 | — | — |
519 | 127 | 9 | 3099 | 52 | 49 | 120 | 110 | 100 | 42 | 357 | 309 | 63 | 475 | 726 | — | 1537 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | — | S 22 | SE 12 | — | — | SE 9 | — | — | — | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — |
175 | — | 9 | 68 | — | — | 43 | — | — | — | 25 | 33 | 3 | 57 | 39 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 10 | ESE 5 | — | — | — | S 4 | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 |
— | — | 2032 | — | — | — | — | — | 200 | 45 | — | — | — | 25 | — | 2187 | 1914 | 1761 | 1988 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 47 | 7 | 11 | 26 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 765 | 426 | 481 | 26 | 0 |
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.










