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The Heads Surf Forecast
/ Garden Route (22 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surfForecast / Garden Route / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Sunday 17 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
The Heads surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's The Heads sea temperature is
17.4° C
(Which is 1.4°C colder than average for this time of year)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 Monday (May 18) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 12s. 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 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 21) at 2AM. 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 (Mon 18th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 21st May) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 21st May) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sun 24 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SE 8 | E 7 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | WSW 6 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | |
471 | 503 | 836 | 755 | 386 | 993 | 393 | 411 | 829 | 1123 | 500 | 370 | 212 | 178 | 268 | 340 | 573 | 545 | 281 | 704 | 488 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | |
High Tide | 4:19AM1.87m | 4:48PM1.71m | 5:04AM1.77m | 5:35PM1.65m | 5:52AM1.63m | 6:26PM1.56m | 6:44AM1.47m | 7:26PM1.46m | 7:46AM1.31m | 8:37PM1.39m | 9:05AM1.20m | 10:00PM1.37m | 10:35AM1.17m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:06PM0.09m | 10:38AM0.02m | 10:53PM0.15m | 11:22AM0.11m | 11:42PM0.25m | 12:10PM0.22m | 00:38AM0.37m | 1:02PM0.34m | 1:44AM0.50m | 2:04PM0.46m | 3:06AM0.58m | 3:18PM0.53m | 4:36AM0.59m | 4:38PM0.56m | |||||||
 |  | |  | |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — |
 | 5:32 | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:29 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 16 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 22 |
15 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 21 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SSE 8 | SW 13 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | WSW 12 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
 kJ | 471 | 503 | 836 | 755 | 298 | 330 | 339 | 411 | 94 | 796 | 500 | 370 | 212 | 109 | 268 | 340 | 573 | 545 | 281 | 704 | 488 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 8 | SW 12 | SSE 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 6 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | SW 8 | SSE 11 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 309 | 132 | 139 | 60 | 386 | 102 | 199 | 120 | 90 | 80 | 118 | 170 | 85 | 79 | 123 | 36 | 20 | 14 | 97 | 50 | 268 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | ESE 6 | S 18 | SSE 11 | SSE 14 | — | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSW 16 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 21 | SW 12 | SSW 18 | E 8 | WSW 10 | E 11 | E 11 | SW 15 | E 11 | SSE 11 |
| kJ | 29 | 14 | 6 | 40 | 81 | — | 109 | 99 | 24 | 49 | 29 | 18 | 90 | 178 | 50 | 69 | 65 | 62 | 220 | 36 | 47 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 5 | SE 6 | E 6 | SE 8 | E 7 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | W 3 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 24 | 152 | 182 | 993 | 393 | 337 | 829 | 1123 | 3 | 27 | 188 | 122 | 99 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 11 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Heads surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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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