The Heads Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.07° S 23.06° E

The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 14 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Heads sea temperature is
15.7°C
1.6° 

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 14 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 19 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, ESE swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 2,985 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 10s period with ESE 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 13s. 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 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11AM (Mon 14th Sep)7.5ft (2.3m) 10s
Best Surf11AM (Sat 19th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 9s
Most Powerful 5AM (Wed 16th Sep)8ft (2.5m) 14s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, listen up. We’ve got a mixed bag coming our way for The Heads, with the start of the period looking like the standout if you can handle a bit of size and a raw, powerful ocean. The combined swell energy is pumping at 1540 (moderate to strong), which tells you there’s plenty of push behind it. Water temp is sitting at 60°, which is about 3° colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be wanting a decent steamer. We’re looking at a solid 8ft groundswell out of the ESE with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a proper, long-period swell that’s gonna wrap in with some serious grunt. The wind is glassy from the NE – just a whisper, making for clean, lined-up surf. This is going to be excellent for experienced surfers, but at this size, it’s too big for beginners. The break is fairly exposed to the swell, and the direction is right on the money. Crowds are possible here on a day like this, so get out early.

Monday morning (14th September) really is the pick. After that, the conditions turn a bit tricky. Monday afternoon sees the wind swing onshore from the SSW, making things messy, and the score drops off.

Tuesday 15th September still has some nice 5ft to 4ft waves from the E, with glassy to clean conditions in the morning, but the energy is weaker (797). Wednesday 16th September brings a big shift. A new SW groundswell arrives at 8ft with a very long 14-second period. That’s a huge, powerful groundswell, and the combined energy shoots up to 2670. But the wind is cross-shore and messy, so it’s not going to be clean. The long period means it’ll be better at a point break, but here at a sandbar, it might be a bit too straight and hard to manage. This is for experts only.

Thursday 17th September is more of the same – big SW swell (7ft to 8ft) but with strong cross-shore winds. It’s looking lumpy and not worth the paddle for most of us.

Friday 18th September is a write-off. The wind is howling from the ESE at 19 mph, creating a lumpy cross-chop. The swell is all over the place. Forget it.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting again. Saturday 19th September and Sunday 20th September. A massive ESE swell hits, up to 13ft, with energy readings of 2904 (very strong). This is pure, raw power. The forecast literally says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is heavy-duty, expert-only territory. Even if the wind was perfect, a beach break like this with that much juice is going to be a washing machine. Unless you’re on a gun and have nerves of steel, give it a wide berth. The east coast setup might actually be more interesting for kite surfing on those days.

We go through a long, blustery period after that. From Sunday afternoon right through to the end of the month, it’s a mix of big, cross-shore winds and messy, rain-lashed conditions. The swell is there, but the wind is killing it. There’s a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind, making for chop and ripples. A few days, like the 22nd and 23rd, have smaller, more manageable swell (6ft to 6ft), but the wind is always just off, so it’s never clean.

Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd September are the most rideable of that stretch, with 4ft to 6ft swell, but the breeze keeps it from being great.

We finally see a glimmer of hope right at the very end of the period. On Sunday 27th September, we get a clean morning with a 7ft groundswell from the SSW with a very long 14-second period. The wind is light, but it’s a cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect. That’s a long way out, though.

Monday 28th September throws another huge swell at us – 12ft from the WSW with a short 9-second period, and the wind is cross-shore. Another one that is just too big for this spot.

And finally, Tuesday 29th September, the very last day, shows a drop to a cleaner 4ft to 5ft with a better cross-offshore wind from the ENE. But it’s very low energy (777) and a short period. It’s a way-off hope.

So, to sum it up: the real standout is Monday the 14th. Get it while it’s glassy, powerful, and clean as a whistle. After that, we’re mostly waiting through big, windy, and often too-big conditions until the very end of the window, which offers only a small glimmer of hope. The first week is your best bet, hands down.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 32mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ESE on Fri night, calm by Sat night).

Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
Sunday
20
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
2
3
3
3
1
3
3
3
2
2
1
0
1
1
!
!
3
2
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.3
ESE
10
2.1
ESE
10
1.7
E
10
1.5
E
11
1.3
E
11
1.9
SW
11
2.5
SW
14
1.6
SW
14
2.1
SW
13
2.4
SW
13
2.2
SW
12
1.9
SW
11
1.6
SW
11
3
ESE
8
3
ESE
8
3.5
ESE
9
4
ESE
9
3
ESE
10
3
ESE
11
2.4
ESE
10
2.5
SE
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1061
889
632
524
410
828
2562
878
1591
1846
1415
961
611
919
1313
1951
2431
1593
1944
1221
1351
Wind (km/h)
5
NE
10
SSW
5
N
5
SSW
10
ENE
20
SW
15
W
5
SSE
5
E
20
E
15
E
20
ESE
30
ESE
30
E
30
ESE
25
ESE
25
ESE
5
ESE
10
SSW
25
SSW
15
WSW
Wind State
glassy
on
off
glassy
cross-off
cross-on
cross
on
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
5:18PM1.77m
5:32AM1.58m
5:45PM1.63m
5:58AM1.45m
6:11PM1.47m
6:25AM1.31m
6:38PM1.31m
6:56AM1.16m
7:13PM1.15m
8:00AM1.01m
9:23PM1.02m
12:12PM1.04m
00:26AM1.10m
Low Tide
11:05AM0.12m
11:29PM0.18m
11:31AM0.24m
11:54PM0.31m
11:57AM0.38m
00:21AM0.45m
12:24PM0.53m
00:52AM0.59m
12:56PM0.68m
1:44AM0.74m
2:09PM0.83m
5:05AM0.80m
6:23PM0.81m
light rain
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
mod rain
rain showers
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
light rain
light rain
mod rain
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:28
6:28
6:26
6:24
6:22
6:22
6:20
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:17
6:17
6:19
6:20
6:20
6:21
6:22
 mm
2
1
13
3
5
6
2
3
3
4
2
1
5
2
8
13
43
6
Temp °C
19
19
16
21
21
18
13
14
14
12
14
14
15
16
16
16
17
17
18
17
17
Feels °C
20
20
15
21
20
18
10
12
12
9
10
10
9
10
10
12
14
16
19
15
14
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for The Heads:

join our community of surf reporters

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.

Nearest locationNearest