The Heads Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.07° S 23.06° E

The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 08 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Heads sea temperature is
16.8° C
0.5° 

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 8 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SSW swell with 3,764 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 15s. 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 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 11AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Thu 9th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 13s
Best Surf11PM (Thu 9th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 13s
Most Powerful11PM (Thu 9th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 13s

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


Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got coming in.

Well, we’re starting off with a bit of a heavy start at The Heads. Wednesday afternoon you’re looking at a solid 8ft SW swell, but with a cross wind and some chop making things pretty average. The combined energy is a massive 4316 (very strong wave energy), and water temp is sitting at a typical 62° for this time of year. Not exactly screaming at me to get in the water yet.

Thursday morning sees the swell jump to 10ft from the SSW, period a nice 14 seconds, but wind is light cross so we get a little ripple on the surface. Still, that’s not the cleanest. The energy readings are still high. By Thursday afternoon, it stays around 10ft but goes cross-on with more wind ripples.

Friday is where things start to look decent. Morning session on Friday, July 10th, we get a clean 10ft SSW swell with a cross-off wind from the NW at just 3 mph, making it really clean. That’s a standout for experienced folks only – it’s big, but clean. Then Friday afternoon turns glassy, SSE wind at 3 mph, same 10ft SSW groundswell. That’s your best window in the first week: clean, big, all for the skilled crew. Combined energy still very high (2601-3130).

Saturday and Sunday the swell drops a touch. Saturday morning is 8ft SSW but with cross wind from the east, not as good. Sunday morning is 5ft and clean with a cross-off, so that’s okay for intermediates.

Monday and Tuesday of the second week drop off a bit, with smaller swells, shorter periods, and wind picking up. Monday afternoon has a 15 mph cross wind, messy. Tuesday is just small.

Now Wednesday 15th July morning the swell drops to 4ft, glassy conditions, making it decent for a small wave session. But not a standout.

Thursday July 16th? Forget it. Strong 18 mph cross winds and lumpy 8ft swell. Not surfable.

Friday 17th the swell comes back up to 7ft SW with a 12-second period, but cross winds start creeping in again.

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th are clean with light offshore and glassy conditions, swell around 4-5ft. That’s good for a relaxed paddle. Sunday afternoon especially is glassy with a nice 5ft SW swell. That’s promising for a fun, clean session.

Then we get into the third week-ish. Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st are messy with cross winds, but Tuesday afternoon swell hits 10ft SSW with a 14-second period: more big swell but still messy.

The big news is Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd July – huge SSW swells of 12ft with periods as long as 16 seconds. This is very long period groundswell, which will be breaking very straight at The Heads, so it’s a paddle-out for experts only. Combined energy is through the roof (over 5000). The mornings are clean, with light winds, but honestly, this break is not handling that kind of size well, especially with a beach/sandbar setup. Might be more of a kite session for the brave.

So, the standout in the whole run is Friday July 10th afternoon: glassy, 10ft SSW groundswell, clean. That’s a session for the experienced. And then Sunday 19th afternoon: glassy, 5ft, clean – that’s the one for the rest of us.

No real long-range gold here – the big stuff at the end is promising but just too big for The Heads.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Wed
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
3
2
3
3
!
4
4
4
3
2
3
3
1
2
2
0
0
1
1
1
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)
2.5
SW
12
3
SSW
12
3
SSW
14
3
SSW
13
3.5
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
2.5
SSW
12
2.4
SSW
12
2.4
SSW
12
2
S
12
1.5
SSW
11
1.3
SSW
11
1.3
SSW
10
1.8
ESE
8
1.5
ESE
9
1.3
S
9
1.2
SE
8
1.3
ESE
8
0.7
S
8
1.1
ESE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2077
2571
3364
3024
3708
3123
2601
2094
1731
1595
1098
550
387
339
453
307
295
206
219
69
164
Wind (km/h)
15
WSW
10
WSW
5
WSW
10
SW
5
NW
5
NW
5
SSE
10
ENE
10
E
15
E
15
ENE
10
ENE
10
E
10
NW
15
W
25
W
20
W
15
W
10
SW
5
N
5
W
Wind State
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
off
glassy
High Tide
9:46PM1.44m
10:33AM1.20m
11:10PM1.43m
12:05PM1.25m
00:31AM1.50m
1:19PM1.36m
1:38AM1.60m
2:17PM1.51m
2:34AM1.69m
3:08PM1.65m
3:23AM1.77m
3:53PM1.76m
4:08AM1.79m
Low Tide
3:08PM0.50m
4:23AM0.51m
4:29PM0.55m
5:49AM0.47m
6:00PM0.52m
7:05AM0.37m
7:18PM0.42m
8:06AM0.25m
8:21PM0.30m
8:57AM0.13m
9:15PM0.19m
9:43AM0.05m
10:03PM0.12m
10:24AM0.00m
part cloud
light rain
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:33
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:31
5:31
5:32
5:32
5:34
5:35
5:35
5:36
 mm
2
Temp °C
18
15
14
14
13
14
15
13
16
17
15
17
18
16
17
18
15
17
17
14
18
Feels °C
14
14
12
12
11
12
12
12
14
14
12
15
16
15
14
13
11
15
15
14
17
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • 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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