The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, it’s Rusty. Let’s break down what’s going on at The Heads.

Right now, things are looking pretty rough and unreliable. We’ve got a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions starting Monday, August 31st and lasting through the first week of September. The water is sitting at 59°, which is about 4° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a big chill, so don’t skimp on the rubber.

Monday afternoon kicks off with a 1.5m SW swell, period 11 seconds, and a light south wind. The combined swell energy is moderate (625), but the surf is flagged as marginal. Nothing to write home about.

Tuesday, September 1st, the swell builds to 2.3m in the morning and 2.5m in the afternoon, still from the SW, with periods increasing to 12 and then 13 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, and the energy jumps to 1608 and 2414. But the wind is onshore, so it’s messy and the quality stays marginal. Wednesday morning hits 3.0m from the SW, 13-second period, energy at 2982 – big waves for experienced crew only, but still onshore and lumpy.

Thursday the 3rd gets nasty. After a light rain morning, the afternoon brings heavy rain and a SE wind at 35 km/h, cross-onshore, with 4.0m of S swell at a short 9 seconds. That’s 2924 energy but it’s a total loss. That afternoon, you might as well rig up a kite – it’s not a paddle session.

Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th stay windy and messy, with ESE swell between 1.8m and 3.0m, short periods (8-10 seconds), and cross-shore winds at 20-30 km/h. Poor to marginal surf all the way.

Sunday the 6th brings a 2.5m SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period and massive energy (3932). But it’s cross-onshore from the ESE at 20 km/h, so it’ll be lumpy. That long period at a sandbar can make it sectiony and tough. Monday the 7th keeps the ESE wind and swell in the 2.4m to 3.0m range, still cross-shore and choppy.

Here’s the one bright spot: Tuesday morning, September 8th. The wind swings NNE at 15 km/h, offshore, and the swell is 2.1m from the E at 10 seconds, energy at 1000. The comment says “expect very good surf conditions” – that’s the cleanest window in this whole forecast. The afternoon goes cross-onshore and smaller, so get out early.

After that, Wednesday the 9th still has a light offshore in the morning, but the swell drops to 1.1m from the E, period 10 seconds, energy only 306. Clean but tiny. Thursday the 10th through the 15th of September is mostly small, with swell under 2m, and winds staying moderate to fresh and cross-shore or cross-onshore. Nothing worth chasing.

So to sum it up: the first week is a write-off with onshore winds and big, unruly swell. The one standout is Tuesday morning, September 8th – clean, offshore, decent E swell. There’s a solid 9-day gap of poor conditions before that window, then it fades again. The Heads is a sandbar, fairly consistent, and crowds are possible, but with conditions this average, you should have plenty of room.

Keep your eyes on that Tuesday morning. Rusty out.

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