The Heads Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.07° S 23.06° E

The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 10 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Heads sea temperature is
15.1°C
2.2° 

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 11 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, ESE swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 4,027 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 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 (Sep 11) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 11s. 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 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Fri 11th Sep)6ft (1.8m) 13s
Best Surf 8AM (Sun 13th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 9s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 16th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 15s

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' for The Heads over the next couple weeks.

Alright, so we've got a bit of a mixed bag on the horizon. There’s some decent swell on the way, but the wind’s gonna be a fickle friend. The good news is that the water temp feels about what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing too weird going on there.

We kick things off this Friday morning, 11 September, with a sneaky little session. It’s not huge, with a SW swell around 5 ft, but the period is a solid 13 seconds, so there’s some real energy (887). The wind is dead glassy from the south at just 3 mph, making for some clean, peelable waves. This is a nice little warm-up, but the magic really happens the next day.

Saturday morning, 12 September, is where it’s at. We’ve got a long-period SW groundswell, 5 ft with a 14-second pulse, and the energy ticks up (1296). The wind is glass again from the east at 3 mph. This is the standout session of the whole outlook, folks. Clean, lined-up waves at The Heads, not too big, not too small – perfect for an intermediate surfer.

Sunday the 13th is a write-off. The swell jumps to a messy 13 ft from the ESE with a short 10-second period. That’s pure, unsurfable chaos for this spot, especially with a 15 mph crosswind. It’s one to watch from the car park, or maybe to save your energy for Monday.

And Monday morning, 14 September, is when it gets interesting again for the experienced crew. The swell drops to 8 ft from the ESE, still a short 10-second period, but the wind goes cross-offshore from the WNW at 6 mph. It’ll be clean and powerful, but at that size, it’s definitely for the guys who know what they’re doing. The combined energy is still in the moderate range (1574).

We get a gift on Tuesday morning, 15 September. Dead calm, 0 mph wind, and a clean 5 ft E swell with 11-second period. It’s glassy as a mirror, and the energy is solid (859). This is another top pick, a real gem in the middle of the week.

After that, it gets a bit average and inconsistent until we get a late bloomer. Saturday the 19th afternoon, the wind goes glassy again from the SSW with a solid 6 ft SW swell and a very long 16-second period. The energy is building (1969). This is a long-range prop – promising, but don't sell the farm for it just yet. That long period means it'll be fat and juicy at The Heads, perfect for the points.

The rest of that second week looks pretty poor with messy winds and chop, especially Tuesday the 22nd when a 28 mph westerly rips through and ruins it. There’s another potential on the very last day, Saturday 26 September, with a dead-calm, glassy morning and a 5 ft SSW swell. But that’s way out there, so keep an eye on it.

So, bottom line: Saturday 12 September morning is your standout. Tuesday 15 September morning is the sneaky weekday hero. The 19th afternoon is the one to have on your radar next weekend, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
11
Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
1
3
3
3
1
!
!
4
4
1
3
3
2
3
2
3
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.8
SW
13
1.6
SW
13
1.4
SW
12
1.3
SW
12
1.4
SW
14
1.9
SW
16
2.2
SSW
16
4
ESE
10
4
ESE
10
3
ESE
10
2.4
ESE
10
2.1
ESE
10
1.7
E
10
1.5
E
11
0.8
SSW
18
3
SW
10
3
SW
15
1.8
SW
14
1.7
SW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1162
784
580
478
825
1869
2441
2592
2602
1699
1156
880
596
533
413
1983
3532
1203
969
Wind (km/h)
10
W
5
S
10
ESE
5
NNE
5
E
15
ESE
25
E
25
E
25
E
10
NE
10
WNW
10
SW
10
N
0
W
5
E
15
WSW
10
SW
10
SE
5
NE
Wind State
cross
glassy
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
off
glassy
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
3:34AM1.79m
3:51PM1.96m
4:06AM1.79m
4:21PM1.95m
4:36AM1.75m
4:50PM1.88m
5:04AM1.68m
5:18PM1.77m
5:32AM1.58m
5:45PM1.63m
5:58AM1.45m
6:11PM1.47m
Low Tide
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
11:31AM0.24m
11:54PM0.31m
11:57AM0.38m
00:21AM0.45m
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
part cloud
light rain
cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
clear
clear
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:31
6:30
6:28
6:28
6:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:15
6:15
6:15
6:16
6:17
6:17
6:19
 mm
1
1
4
1
4
5
3
3
1
Temp °C
16
18
18
16
18
21
17
18
19
21
22
17
16
21
21
16
15
15
14
Feels °C
16
18
17
17
19
20
15
16
17
20
22
16
16
20
19
15
12
13
12
  • Map Icons:
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  • 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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