The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’ve got the local scoop for The Heads.

We’re looking at a pretty solid run of swell shaping up over the next couple of weeks, but there’s a bit of a slow start. The first real surf worth paddling out for kicks off on Sunday the 23rd of August. We’ve got a 7ft SW swell rolling in with a 13-second period, which has some decent energy (1352). The water is at 59°, which is a chilly 4° colder than usual, so you’ll want a good wetsuit – that’s notably colder than normal for this time of year. Wind is light out of the SE though, so it’s a cross-on breeze, making it a bit tricky. It’s a bit of a so-so start.

The real standout comes early on Monday the 24th of August. Monday morning is the call. The swell drops a bit to 5ft from the SW, period 12 seconds, but the wind is glassy – a light SSW breeze at 3 mph. That’s the magic window. The water will be clean, the waves will have shape, and the energy is moderate (723). For a sandbar break, this is about as good as it gets. Keep in mind this spot is a sandbar, and the swell is coming from the SW, which is pretty close to the optimum SSE direction, so it’ll wrap in nicely. Later Monday afternoon it gets more onshore, so that morning session is the one.

Tuesday the 25th picks up again, with a bigger 8ft to 8ft SW swell, but the wind swings S to SSE, turning it cross-on. That’s going to mess with the surface a bit. The combined energy jumps up to 2506, which is solid, but the chop will make it less fun. Wednesday the 26th is a write-off – strong east winds at 16-19 mph create a cross-chop and the quality tanks.

But then, Thursday the 27th of August delivers another beauty. The swell drops to 6ft in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon, both from the SSW with a 12-second period. The wind is glassy again – SW in the morning, ESE in the afternoon. Both sessions are clean, with excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The energy is moderate (1417 and 1368), so you’ll get good waves without it being a washing machine. This is the other standout.

After Thursday, the surf gets smaller and a bit messier through the weekend and into early next week. There’s a small window on Monday the 31st of August morning with glassy conditions and 4ft from the WSW, but it’s not a patch on the earlier days.

Looking further out, the second week gets interesting but also a bit wild. There’s a huge pulse of swell forecast for Saturday the 5th of September. We’re talking a 16ft SW swell with a 16-second period and massive energy (10989). That’s way too big for this break – it’s only for experts if it’s even rideable. The 12ft to 15ft days before and after are also huge, with clean cross-off winds on the 6th, but again, this is big-wave territory. The setup would be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days. There’s a big gap in quality between the 29th of August and the 5th of September, with only small, marginal conditions.

To cap it off: the best bets are Monday morning, 24th August, and Thursday the 27th of August. Get out there early for the glass.

Rusty

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