The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way.

This forecast kicks off with a solid pulse of swell and glassy conditions. We’re looking at a Sunday morning session that’s the real standout. The Heads is firing early with a clean 7ft SW swell, glassy wind, and the water’s sitting at 63°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. The combined energy is strong at 1489, so there’s plenty of push. This one is for the experienced crew though – that 7ft is right on the edge of being too much for beginners. The wave period is 12 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell with good shape and long lines.

Sunday afternoon holds up nicely too, with 6ft SW swell and still glassy. It’s a touch smaller but still very good.

Monday morning gets a bit tricky. The swell jumps to 7ft from the SW, but the wind goes cross-shore from the W at 9 mph, putting a bit of a chop on the face. The energy is pumping at 1964, but the conditions are marginal. Monday afternoon gets even bigger with an 8ft SSW groundswell at a very long 17-second period, and the energy rockets up to 4029. That’s a powerful, massive swell, but the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a bit messy. That 8ft is expert territory only.

Tuesday sees the swell staying solid around 8ft from the SSW, but with a moderate cross-shore breeze from the ESE at 12 mph, the quality is knocked down. It’s going to be a choppy, wind-affected mess, not really worth paddling out for.

Wednesday morning brings a nice reset. The swell drops to a cleaner 6ft from the SW, and the wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the ENE at 6 mph. The energy is still moderate at 1506, and the conditions are clean. This is a solid, fun option for experienced surfers again.

Thursday looks good with a drop in size. Morning has 5ft SSW swell and glassy conditions, and the afternoon bumps up slightly to 5ft SW, still glassy. The energy is moderate (940-1071), and the quality is very good. This is a nice window for intermediate surfers to get out.

Friday is a mixed bag. The morning has 4ft SW swell with a cross-shore wind, so it’s only marginal. The afternoon gets a weird 8ft ESE wind swell with a short 7-second period, which is just ugly and messy. The combined energy is only 951 because the period is so short. That’s more of a kite-surfing wind swell than a paddle wave.

Saturday, August 1st, is a good one. The morning has a solid 8ft E swell with a clean cross-offshore wind. The energy is strong at 1581, and the waves look clean. That’s a best bet for the weekend for experienced surfers. The afternoon is a bit smaller at 7ft ESE, still clean.

Sunday, August 2nd, the morning offers 7ft ESE swell with light cross-offshore wind and clean conditions. Energy is moderate at 1073. The afternoon stays the same height but the wind goes cross-shore, so it gets a bit bumpy.

From Monday, August 3rd through to Thursday, August 8th, the surf is mostly small and marginal. Swell heights bounce between 4ft and 7ft, but the winds are often onshore or cross-onshore, and the quality is poor. Friday, August 8th, is a write-off with poor conditions.

There’s a bit of a gap in quality here, but then we get a nice surprise for Monday, August 10th. The morning has a 6ft SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period, and the wind is a light cross-offshore. The energy is moderate at 1993, and the conditions are clean. That long period from the SSW will wrap nicely into The Heads, offering long, well-shaped waves. This is a promising long-range call, but keep an eye on it as it gets closer.

Overall, the clear standout is Sunday morning, July 26th, with the glassy 7ft SW swell. The next best windows are Wednesday morning, July 29th, and Saturday morning, August 1st. The long-range Monday, August 10th, also looks like a potential gem.

Rusty.

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