Surf Forecasts:
The Heads surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s period, SW swell with 3,241 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period with SW 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 Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Heads in the next 16 days are 2.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Heads over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s in store for The Heads over the next couple of weeks.
The water is about 59°F, which is 5°F colder than normal for this time of year, so that’s a shock to the system.
The forecast starts with some swell on Tuesday the 25th, but it’s not the best. You’ve got a 8ft SW swell running, but the wind is cross-on and the combined energy is strong (3983), but the conditions are marginal. The Heads is a sandbar that’s fairly exposed, and with the wind on it, it won’t be clean. The rest of the week is average, with the wind staying messy.
The real standout is Thursday morning, the 27th of August. The NW wind dies to glass, leaving a 6ft SSW groundswell (12 second period). That’s going to be clean, lined up, with moderate energy (1546). For intermediate surfers, this is the pick of the first week. It’s over 5ft, so it’s a step up for beginners.
Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th are a bust. The swell drops and the wind stays poor. Saturday morning is only 4ft and messy.
We get a small pulse on Sunday the 30th, with a 4ft SW swell, but it’s only marginal with light onshore wind. The first week really only has that Thursday morning as a true highlight.
In the second week, a bigger swell arrives. On the 2nd of September, we see a 10ft SW swell, but with a fresh cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be lumpy. That’s a kite day, not a paddle day. The standout is Friday the 4th of September morning. That’s a 10ft SSE swell with glassy conditions. That’s big (over 8ft), so experts only, but it will be clean with strong energy (3276). That’s the second best window, but it’s a week and a half out, so keep watching.
The weekend of the 5th and 6th of September has some cleaner, smaller swell. The 5th Saturday afternoon has a tiny 2ft SSW swell with a 22 second period – that’s a very long period groundswell, which will be slow and fat, but glassy. Not for everyone.
Monday the 7th of September sees a clean up with offshore NNW wind and a 4ft SW swell. That’ll be a good, clean session.
After that, the swell dies. From the 8th of September onward, it’s small, weak, and choppy. The energy drops under 400. It’s a flat spell to finish the run.
Best on offer: Thursday 27th August morning for clean, fun-sized waves, and Friday 4th September morning for a bigger, glassy, expert session. The rest is waiting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Wed afternoon, calm by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 9 | SSW 9 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3241 | 2509 | 1922 | 1189 | 2368 | 1197 | 985 | 469 | 759 | 467 | 335 | 388 | 302 | 215 | 370 | 471 | 492 | 592 | 471 | 497 | 382 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:39PM1.49m | 2:44AM1.55m | 3:06PM1.63m | 3:12AM1.65m | 3:32PM1.75m | 3:40AM1.72m | 3:59PM1.84m | 4:08AM1.76m | 4:26PM1.89m | 4:37AM1.76m | 4:54PM1.90m | 5:06AM1.72m | 5:24PM1.85m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:30AM0.35m | 8:44PM0.38m | 8:56AM0.23m | 9:11PM0.26m | 9:21AM0.12m | 9:39PM0.16m | 9:46AM0.05m | 10:07PM0.09m | 10:13AM0.01m | 10:35PM0.06m | 10:40AM0.01m | 11:05PM0.06m | 11:09AM0.05m | 11:36PM0.12m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | |  |  | | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 25 | 27 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 12 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 24 | 26 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 9 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 3241 | 2509 | 1922 | 1189 | 2368 | 1197 | 985 | 422 | 759 | 467 | 335 | 388 | 302 | 213 | 370 | 471 | 437 | 592 | 290 | 497 | 382 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | — | SSW 16 | SW 13 | SW 13 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 12 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 9 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 742 | — | 359 | 649 | 178 | 450 | 434 | 469 | 308 | 240 | 196 | 118 | 162 | 215 | 123 | 125 | 89 | 373 | 471 | 167 | 86 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 12 | — | — | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 17 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SW 14 | ESE 11 | E 8 | SW 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 397 | — | — | 127 | 421 | 11 | 72 | 160 | 155 | 123 | 49 | 102 | 36 | 19 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 34 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | WSW 4 | SW 6 | SW 9 | — | — | — | ENE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 173 | 671 | 828 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 20 | 133 | 492 | — | — | — | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 26 | 0 | 26 | 364 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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.
Nearest