The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at the forecast for The Heads.

The next sixteen days have some real promise, but you’ll need to pick your windows. The first few days are a bit messy, with a big swell building and a lot of wind to deal with. The real standouts come later, with some clean, glassy mornings that are worth getting out of bed for.

The standout session is Friday morning, July 24th. The swell is a solid 12ft, coming from the SSW with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and with the wind light and offshore from the ENE, it’s going to be clean. The combined energy is pumping at 6402 (strong to very strong wave energy). This is a big one, though. At 12ft, it’s only for experienced surfers who know what they’re doing at The Heads. This is a sandbar, and a long period swell like that can make it a bit tricky, but when it’s clean like this, it’s a gift.

The other real standout is Sunday morning, July 26th. It’s a smaller day, with 6ft of SW swell at 12 seconds, but the wind is glassy – dead calm from the North. The combined energy is 1395 (strong wave energy), and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. It’s going to be a beautiful, clean morning.

After that, there’s a few more solid windows. The morning of July 31st has 5ft of SW swell, glassy, with a combined energy of 1397 (strong wave energy). That’s a nice, clean option for the end of the month. August 1st morning also looks clean and glassy, with 5ft of E swell, but the period is a shorter 9 seconds, so it won’t have the same punch.

The biggest swells of the period, like the 12ft on the 24th and the 10ft plus days on the 28th and August 7th, are all for the experts. The 28th has an 12ft SSW swell with a 16-second period, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore, so it’s not as clean as the 24th. August 7th morning has a 10ft SW swell, but the wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s a bit bumpy.

For the first week of August, things settle down a bit. August 3rd morning has a 7ft ESE swell, glassy, with a short 7-second period. Combined energy is 858 (moderate wave energy). It’s clean, but short period means it’s a bit weaker. August 5th morning looks promising for the experienced crew, with 7ft of SSW swell at a very long 17 seconds, and a clean offshore from the NE. Combined energy is 3192 (strong to very strong wave energy). That’s a big, clean, long-period groundswell.

The Heads can get crowded sometimes, so keep that in mind for the best windows. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Overall, it’s a mixed bag with a couple of proper gems. The 24th of July morning is the big one if you’ve got the skill, and the 26th of July morning is the one for the glassy, clean, smaller waves.

Rusty.

Read more