The Heads Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.07° S 23.06° E

The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 12 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Heads sea temperature is
16.6° C
0.8° 

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 12 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 16s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s period, SW swell with 3,026 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s period with SSW 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.5m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 1.7m and 7s 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 2.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sun 12th Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 11s
Best Surf 8PM (Wed 15th Jul)4.5ft (1.4m) 16s
Most Powerful 2AM (Thu 16th Jul)8ft (2.5m) 15s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.


Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for The Heads. We've got a bit of a slow start, but there's some serious muscle coming in the back half.

Right now, we’re looking at a bit of a lull to kick things off. The first real action doesn’t fire up until Monday the 13th. For the next few days, the swell is small and the wind is a bit messy. We’ve got a moderate wave energy (678) on the 12th, but it's a cross-shore chop with a 5ft SSW swell. Not worth getting too excited about.

Monday the 13th morning is where it starts to get interesting. We’ve got a clean 4ft SSW groundswell (10-second period) with glassy conditions and a slight air. Water temp is sitting at 62°, which is a touch cooler than normal for this time of year by about 1°. It's a solid little window for a dawny.

The real standout, though, looks like Wednesday the 15th afternoon. That’s when the magic happens. A 3ft SW groundswell, but check this out – a period of 17 seconds and combined energy of 1150. The wind goes glassy, and it's clean. That’s the kind of long-period pulse that will wrap beautifully around The Heads, giving you some proper shape. It's a sandbar setup, so don’t expect a perfect point break reeling off, but with that period, the sets will have some real push and the paddle out will be easy between waves. This is the one to circle in your calendar. Crowds can be an issue here sometimes, so you’ll want to be early.

Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th see the size jump up to 8ft from the SW, but the wind is cross or cross-on, and there's a bit of rain on Friday. The energy is strong (over 1600), but the conditions aren't as clean. This gets more into intermediate territory and might be a bit much for groms.

After a quick drop in size on the 18th and 19th, there's another window worth a mention. Monday the 20th afternoon sees a 6ft WSW swell with a short 8-second period and clean, cross-off breezes. It’s a bit crumbly with that short period, but the wind is good.

Now, for the second week, we have to look at this with a pinch of salt, but the models are hinting at something big. From the 21st, the groundswell from the SSW comes in with serious power. The afternoon of the 22nd is a real standout for the experienced crew. We're talking an 8ft SW swell, glassy conditions, and an energy reading of 2502. That’s proper.

The 24th and 25th of July are just massive. We're looking at 15ft SW swells. The models say the wind and tide are favorable, but at that size, it's going to be charging. The combined energy is over 9500 – that's very strong. This is expert territory only. For the average surfer, that's a "watch from the cliff" kind of day. And with that long 16-second period, a beach break like The Heads could close out a bit, so the paddle out might be a mission.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Wednesday the 15th afternoon for a clean, long-period swell. For the bigger, more powerful stuff, keep an eye on the 22nd afternoon for a glassy, expert-level session. After that, it’s just a series of huge, potentially unmanageable swells for most.

Stay stoked,
Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sun
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
1
2
1
2
2
1
3
4
3
3
4
3
2
3
2
2
3
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.4
SSW
11
1.3
SSW
11
1.2
SSW
10
1.4
ESE
8
1.4
ESE
8
1.5
ESE
9
1.4
ESE
9
1.2
ESE
9
1
E
9
1
SW
17
2.5
SW
15
2.5
SW
14
2.3
SW
13
2.3
SW
13
2.5
SW
12
2.2
SW
11
2
SSW
10
1.3
S
11
1
S
11
1.3
SW
13
1.1
SW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
452
353
279
231
256
328
300
248
169
580
3026
2289
1776
1703
1628
1128
839
375
231
529
411
Wind (km/h)
20
E
5
N
5
ESE
5
ESE
5
N
5
WSW
5
WSW
5
NNW
5
W
5
WNW
5
NNE
5
W
5
W
15
WNW
5
SW
5
ESE
15
ENE
10
ENE
10
ENE
10
N
10
W
Wind State
cross
off
glassy
cross
glassy
cross
glassy
off
cross
glassy
glassy
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross
High Tide
2:17PM1.51m
2:34AM1.69m
3:08PM1.65m
3:23AM1.77m
3:53PM1.76m
4:08AM1.79m
4:37PM1.83m
4:50AM1.77m
5:18PM1.85m
5:30AM1.70m
5:58PM1.81m
6:09AM1.60m
6:37PM1.73m
6:47AM1.48m
Low Tide
8:21PM0.30m
8:57AM0.13m
9:15PM0.19m
9:43AM0.05m
10:03PM0.12m
10:24AM0.00m
10:48PM0.10m
11:03AM0.00m
11:31PM0.12m
11:41AM0.05m
00:12AM0.20m
12:17PM0.14m
00:52AM0.30m
12:52PM0.26m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:30
7:30
7:30
7:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:34
5:35
5:35
5:36
5:36
5:37
5:37
5:37
 mm
2
Temp °C
18
15
18
19
16
19
19
15
17
18
15
19
18
16
14
14
14
15
18
17
21
Feels °C
15
13
17
17
15
17
17
14
16
16
14
17
16
14
12
14
12
13
16
15
19
  • 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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