Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 4,078 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 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 30) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.6m and 7s. 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 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's coming our way. We've got a solid run of action at The Heads, starting off this Thursday, 30th July, with a decent SSW groundswell pushing in. There's a bit of chop around in the afternoons, but the mornings are where it's at.
Thursday morning, 30th July, we're looking at a clean 6ft SSW swell with a long 13-second period pushing a solid 1515 units of energy. Wind is a light cross-off from the ENE, so the lineup will be holding some nice shape. This is solid intermediate territory, with enough push to get a good wall, but nothing too crazy. Water temps are about average for the time of year.
Friday, 31st July, the swell drops a touch but swings more ESE with a shorter 9-second period. The morning is still clean with a cross-off breeze and 6ft surf. It's a bit more on the mushy side but still worth a paddle.
Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of August are looking prime for the early birds. Saturday dawns with glassy 8ft ESE swell, and Sunday is flat calm with 7ft. These mornings are glassy perfection – if you can get out there, you'll be rewarded with clean, lined-up waves.
Monday the 3rd sees a drop in size and some cross-onshore wind, but Monday afternoon is a sneaky good one: glassy conditions return with 4ft of clean SW groundswell. It’s not huge, but it'll be fun and uncrowded.
Now, the standout window. Wednesday, 5th August, afternoon is a big one. The wind goes glassy calm, and a powerful 8ft SW groundswell with a 15-second period rolls in, pumping out 3154 units of energy. That’s a serious groundswell, and it will jack up perfectly at this sandbar. This is for experienced surfers only at that size, but the conditions will be epic.
The run of good stuff keeps going. Friday, 7th August, has a massive 12ft SW groundswell in the morning with a 15-second period and a clean offshore wind. That’s 5743 units of energy – big, powerful, and only for the experts. The afternoon glass-off on the same day with 10ft is also a top-tier call for those who can handle it.
We then hit a bit of a messy patch with strong winds from the 8th into the 9th, and the 9th of August sees a massive 16ft to 20ft SW swell – that's 13170 units of energy, way too big for this break, even if the wind is glassy. That's not a surfing day; that’s a watch-from-the-cliff day.
Things settle down from Monday, 10th August onwards, with a steady 10ft to 13ft S/SW swell. The absolute gem in this later period is Tuesday morning, 11th August. Glassy conditions, a clean 10ft S groundswell with a 15-second period pumping 4072 units of energy. It’s a long-period groundswell, which can break a little straight at a sandbar, but with this quality of wind and size, it will be holding fantastic walls for the confident surfer.
Wednesday, 12th August also finishes strong with glassy afternoons and building swell. The best of the second week is definitely that Tuesday morning, 11th August.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1061 | 932 | 841 | 690 | 510 | 675 | 1133 | 890 | 796 | 708 | 641 | 813 | 611 | 609 | 473 | 511 | 433 | 344 | 249 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 4:04AM1.66m | 4:28PM1.71m | 4:33AM1.68m | 4:56PM1.75m | 5:01AM1.68m | 5:24PM1.77m | 5:31AM1.64m | 5:54PM1.75m | 6:03AM1.58m | 6:27PM1.70m | 6:39AM1.49m | 7:04PM1.62m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:03PM0.26m | 10:15AM0.12m | 10:32PM0.22m | 10:42AM0.08m | 11:02PM0.19m | 11:09AM0.08m | 11:32PM0.20m | 11:37AM0.11m | 00:05AM0.23m | 12:08PM0.18m | 00:40AM0.29m | 12:42PM0.27m | 1:23AM0.37m | ||||||
 |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — |
 | 5:45 | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 15 |
Feels °C | 12 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SW 12 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 1061 | 932 | 841 | 564 | 510 | 374 | 727 | 890 | 796 | 708 | 641 | 813 | 611 | 531 | 418 | 511 | 433 | 344 | 249 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 9 | — | SW 13 | SW 13 | — | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 |
| kJ | 238 | 232 | — | 690 | 473 | — | 203 | 125 | 125 | 277 | 392 | 424 | 278 | 609 | 473 | 356 | 294 | 235 | 207 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 14 | S 14 | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | 83 | 103 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 264 | 4 | — | — | — | 27 | 144 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 6 | — | ESE 8 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | WSW 3 | — | — | — | SW 3 | SW 4 |
| kJ | — | 351 | 528 | 134 | — | 675 | 1133 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | 2 | 7 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 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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