Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, SSE swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 19s period, SSW swell with 6,390 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 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 Tuesday (Sep 01) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. 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 19s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. I’ve been looking over the forecast for The Heads, and frankly, most of this 16-day stretch looks shabby, but there are a couple of mornings that’ll have you waxing up.
The first decent surf is on Tuesday, September 1st. We’ve got a 8ft swell from the southwest with a long 12-second period and moderate wave energy (1609). The wind is light and offshore from the SSW – gonna keep the surface glassy. Water temp is 59°F, which is 4°F colder than usual, so layer up. It’s a sandbar, fairly consistent, but 8ft is big for beginners. The swell direction isn’t a perfect match for the optimum SSE, but it’s workable. Afternoon sees the swell push to 8ft, but the wind goes onshore, so stick to the morning. Crowds are only sometimes a problem, so you might snag it quiet.
Wednesday the 2nd has a 10ft southwest swell in the morning with onshore wind – only for experts. Afternoon drops to 8ft with cross-shore wind. Thursday the 3rd afternoon turns nasty – 12ft of short-period SSE windswell with 35 km/h winds and heavy rain. That’s more of a kite-surfing scene than a paddle.
There’s a rough stretch from Friday the 4th through the 8th with onshore winds and chopped-out surf. Sunday the 6th has a 8ft swell from the southwest with a very long 17-second period (3670 energy) – groundswell that long can break straight at a sandbar, and the wind is cross, so it’ll be bumpy.
The standout is Monday, September 7th, morning. A clean 6ft swell from the southwest, 13-second period, solid energy (2619). Wind is light and offshore from the northeast – dead clean. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” That’s the session. It’s under the 8ft threshold, so it’s manageable for strong intermediates, but those long-period sets will have some punch.
Tuesday the 8th morning has a clean 5ft from the east with light offshore wind, but the east swell doesn’t suit the optimum direction and the period is short at 10 seconds. It’s weak, but if you’re desperate, it’s the only other clean window.
From the 9th onward, the swell disappears – tiny waves under 3ft and weak energy. The rest of the second week is flat or poor. Keep your eyes on the 7th. That’s the one.
Stay keen, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 41mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | S 12 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1576 | 2381 | 3523 | 2824 | 2305 | 1791 | 811 | 2217 | 2073 | 823 | 601 | 278 | 359 | 320 | 281 | 2958 | 6390 | 2049 | 1144 | 898 | 721 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-off | on | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 5:57PM1.76m | 6:13AM1.53m | 6:34PM1.62m | 6:54AM1.38m | 7:20PM1.45m | 7:52AM1.21m | 8:36PM1.27m | 9:53AM1.10m | 10:59PM1.21m | 12:15PM1.21m | 00:43AM1.33m | 1:22PM1.41m | 1:40AM1.49m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:40AM0.14m | 00:11AM0.21m | 12:14PM0.26m | 00:51AM0.35m | 12:56PM0.42m | 1:45AM0.51m | 1:58PM0.59m | 3:22AM0.65m | 4:09PM0.71m | 5:49AM0.61m | 6:29PM0.60m | 7:09AM0.45m | 7:36PM0.42m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:47 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 22 | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 24 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 22 | 27 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 9 | S 8 | SSW 9 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 15 | ESE 8 | S 12 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 1576 | 2381 | 3523 | 2824 | 2305 | 1791 | 811 | 347 | 212 | 599 | 270 | 116 | 359 | 320 | 281 | 2958 | 6390 | 2049 | 567 | 898 | 721 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 8 | E 9 | — | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSE 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | S 22 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 13 | WSW 13 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 32 | 33 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 159 | 14 | — | 135 | 187 | 79 | 64 | 69 | 38 | 596 | 287 | 104 | 1144 | 17 | 269 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 11 | SSE 7 | E 10 | SSW 19 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | SSE 11 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 20 | 20 | 92 | 11 | 8 | 145 | 8 | — | — | — | — | 221 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 9 | N 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 308 | 2217 | 2073 | 823 | 601 | 278 | 183 | 158 | 139 | 108 | 613 | 540 | 908 | 677 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 30 | 0 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 172 | 483 | 1501 | 3469 | 26 | 11 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 387 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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