The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for The Heads. Let’s break it down.

Right off the bat, we’re in a bit of a rough patch. The water temp is sitting at 58°F, which is a whopping 5°F colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a serious chill, so don’t even think about ditching the thick rubber.

The first few days are a write-off. Tuesday through Friday are all marginal or poor, with cross-onshore winds, messy conditions, and a strong breeze that’s only good for keeping the kitesurfers happy. The combined energy is weak to moderate (2414 on Tuesday), but the quality is just not there. It’s a gap of about four days of nothing worth paddling out for.

Now, the first real glimmer comes on Monday, September 7th. The morning session is the standout of the whole run. We’ve got a clean 6ft SSW groundswell, with a nice 14-second period, and the wind is offshore from the North, glassing it up. The combined energy is solid (1842), and this is a good one for experienced surfers. The Heads is a sandbar, so with that long period, keep an eye on it – it might be a bit straight, but it’ll have some good shape.

The next week is a mixed bag, with a lot of cross-shore chop and moderate energy. The 12th of September, Saturday, has a small window of hope. The morning is 5ft from the East with a clean offshore NNW wind, and the afternoon turns glassy with a 4ft East swell. The energy is low (476-565), so it’s more of a longboard or funboard session, but clean.

Then, hold onto your board. Monday, September 14th and Tuesday, September 15th are the real godsends. Monday morning is glassy, with a 4ft SW groundswell (1055 energy) and the wind is dead calm. The description says “very good surf conditions.” Tuesday morning is even better: 8ft from the East, glassy, and the combined energy hits 1488. This is “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” That east swell is a bit short period (8 seconds), so it’ll be a bit more walled up, but clean and punchy. The Tuesday afternoon turns onshore and messy, so get it early.

The final days on the 16th have some hefty SSW groundswell (17-second period, 3177 energy), but the cross-onshore wind will make it lumpy. It’s a lot of water moving, but not the best quality.

So, the real standouts are Monday morning, September 7th for the clean, long-period groundswell, and Tuesday morning, September 15th for the excellent, glassy, bigger east swell. Don’t sleep on that Monday morning, that’s the one.

Rusty out.

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