Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 16 Oct 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 21 Oct, 2PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 21 Oct, 5PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period, SW swell with 6,029 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 16 Oct, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 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 Friday (Oct 16) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Heads in the next 16 days are 4.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Oct 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Fri 16th Oct) | 7ft (2.2m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Wed 21st Oct) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 21st Oct) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 41mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 25°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 16 | Saturday 17 | Sunday 18 | Monday 19 | Tuesday 20 | Wednesday 21 | Thursday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1279 | 925 | 672 | 997 | 1945 | 1539 | 1860 | 2257 | 2106 | 1031 | 786 | 914 | 671 | 690 | 1821 | 1488 | 6029 | 2860 | 1739 | 2501 | 1365 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:10PM1.31m | 6:39AM1.21m | 6:47PM1.17m | 7:46AM1.09m | 8:11PM1.05m | 10:35AM1.07m | 11:09PM1.06m | 12:04PM1.21m | 00:20AM1.19m | 12:46PM1.37m | 1:02AM1.33m | 1:18PM1.54m | 1:37AM1.47m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:00PM0.54m | 00:25AM0.55m | 12:39PM0.68m | 1:16AM0.67m | 1:56PM0.80m | 3:12AM0.75m | 4:57PM0.81m | 5:24AM0.69m | 6:21PM0.67m | 6:23AM0.56m | 7:01PM0.51m | 7:01AM0.43m | 7:34PM0.34m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | |
 | 5:45 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — |
 | — | 6:40 | — | — | 6:42 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:44 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 25 | 24 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 20 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 24 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 1279 | 925 | 672 | 997 | 1945 | 1539 | 1860 | 2257 | 2106 | 1031 | 786 | 914 | 671 | 690 | 1821 | 1488 | 4255 | 2860 | 1739 | 1968 | 1365 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 22 | 22 | 21 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 137 | 52 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 121 | 102 | 48 | 24 | 17 | 11 | 18 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 7 | SE 10 | E 8 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | E 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 4 | S 6 | — | SW 7 | SW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 12 | — | — | SW 11 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 163 | — | 344 | 303 | — | — | — | — | — | 6029 | — | — | 2501 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 415 | 375 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Heads surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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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