Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 16s period, SSW swell with 2,472 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 1.1m and 9s 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 2.2m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s talk feet and miles.
The Heads is quiet to start. First real chance is Wednesday morning the 9th: a tiny 2ft SW groundswell with light offshore wind—clean enough for a log, but barely. The water temperature is 58°F, which is about 5°F colder than normal for this time, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.
Best bet in the first week is Monday the 14th afternoon. Glassy conditions, 7ft ESE swell. Period’s short at 9 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy, but with zero wind it’s the pick of the early days. Energy is moderate (1066).
Tuesday the 15th afternoon brings a very long-period 21-second SSW groundswell at 5ft. That long period will make the sandbar a little tricky, but light cross-shore wind keeps it surfable.
Wednesday the 16th gets big: 8ft in the morning and 10ft by afternoon, with energy jumping to strong (3433 and 4011). Cross-on wind and rain make this expert territory. Thursday the 17th drops to 6–7ft but stays messy with 20 mph cross-shore wind.
Friday the 18th holds at 8–8ft, still cross-shore, still chop. Saturday the 19th morning cleans up a little with 5ft and light E wind—okay, but not a standout.
The next big moment is Sunday the 20th afternoon: 8ft SW groundswell at 16 seconds, with light cross-on wind. Energy is very strong (3334). That’s a serious swell for the experienced surfer.
Monday the 21st morning is the biggest: 12ft SSW groundswell at 17 seconds, energy at 6415—that’s extreme. But it’s also blowing cross-onshore at 20 mph and the forecast says it’s too big for this break. Stay on the beach.
Tuesday the 22nd is still big (8ft) with lighter wind, and Wednesday the 23rd hits 13ft in the morning, again too big for The Heads. Afternoon stays at 12ft with light cross-on.
Best sessions: Monday the 14th afternoon for the glassy clean conditions, and Sunday the 20th afternoon if you want size and groundswell quality. The rest is either small, choppy, or too heavy.
Rusty signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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 | E 9 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 314 | 188 | 200 | 290 | 286 | 1057 | 1784 | 1162 | 917 | 634 | 573 | 951 | 1961 | 2465 | 1736 | 1179 | 701 | 614 | 736 | 992 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross | on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:07PM1.61m | 2:23AM1.63m | 2:45PM1.78m | 3:00AM1.73m | 3:19PM1.90m | 3:34AM1.79m | 3:51PM1.96m | 4:06AM1.79m | 4:21PM1.95m | 4:36AM1.75m | 4:50PM1.88m | 5:04AM1.68m | 5:18PM1.77m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:22PM0.24m | 8:34AM0.13m | 9:00PM0.11m | 9:08AM0.03m | 9:34PM0.02m | 9:40AM-0.02m | 10:05PM-0.01m | 10:09AM-0.01m | 10:35PM0.01m | 10:38AM0.04m | 11:02PM0.08m | 11:05AM0.12m | 11:29PM0.18m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 22 | 29 | 29 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 18 |
Feels °C | 29 | 21 | 28 | 27 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 26 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | ESE 9 | E 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 314 | 138 | 88 | 290 | 286 | 1057 | 1784 | 1162 | 917 | 634 | 573 | 951 | 1961 | 2465 | 1736 | 1179 | 349 | 614 | 736 | 992 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SW 11 | SW 14 | E 9 | E 10 | SW 12 | E 10 | E 10 | S 6 | SSE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 77 | 142 | 200 | 81 | 65 | 355 | 52 | 33 | 28 | 24 | 103 | 100 | 110 | 151 | 291 | 422 | 701 | 411 | 330 | 232 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SSE 9 | SW 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSW 5 | S 5 | SSE 5 | E 11 | E 11 | SW 15 | E 10 | SE 13 | E 7 | SSE 9 | S 10 | S 8 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 41 | 27 | 114 | 36 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 21 | 56 | 8 | 7 | 96 | 43 | 8 | 118 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 240 | 188 | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 187 | 427 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 26 | 0 | 8 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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