The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks have in store for us at The Heads. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s get into it.

The first few days are pretty average, honestly. Monday morning kicks off with some cross-on wind and a 5 ft SW swell, but it’s messy and the water is a chilly 59°, feeling much colder than normal for this time of year. Not worth paddling out for.

We get a bit of a pulse building through Tuesday and Wednesday, with swell heights climbing from 8 ft up to 8 ft from the SW, but the wind is either onshore or cross-shore, making it lumpy and choppy. The combined energy jumps up to 2500 (moderate to strong) on Tuesday, but the conditions just aren’t there to make it enjoyable. Wednesday afternoon gets ugly with a 22 mph cross-wind. Skip it.

Now, Thursday the 27th is where it gets interesting. That morning we’ve got a 6 ft SSW swell with glassy conditions. The wind is barely a whisper out of the WSW. The combined energy is 1393 (moderate), and the period is 12 seconds, which is a nice, long groundswell. This is the standout of the early window. This reef and river setup will handle that long period well, offering clean, lined-up waves. It’s manageable for experienced surfers, but at 6 ft, it’s not too crazy. Crowds are *sometimes* a factor here, so you might have a battle for the good ones, but the quality should be worth it.

After that, Friday and Saturday drop off. Winds swing around, swell backs off to 3 ft, and Saturday afternoon turns into a choppy mess with 16 mph winds.

Here’s the thing – we hit a bit of a dry spell with the wind coming in shitty for a few days. But hang in there, because Sunday the 30th brings a real treat. We’ve got a 7 ft WSW groundswell (13 sec period, 1711 energy) in the morning with glassy conditions. That’s a beautiful combo. By the afternoon, it bumps up to 10 ft from the SW, still clean with a light cross-off breeze. This is for the experienced crew only – over 8 ft is expert territory – but if you’ve got the skills, this is going to be a solid session.

Then we get a few more days of mediocrity and rain showers through the start of September. But look ahead to Wednesday the 2nd of September. That morning we’re looking at a massive 15 ft SW swell with incredible combined energy of 5046 (strong). The wind is cross-off out of the WNW, and the conditions are clean. The problem? It’s simply too big for this break. The file itself says it's too big. Unless you’re an absolute charger with a death wish, give that a hard pass. The afternoon and the 3rd are a write-off with storm-force winds.

By the 4th of September (Friday), the swell is still huge (18 ft SSW, 23494 energy) but the wind is light and cross-on. Again, it’s primarily a big-wave situation for experts only, and it’s going to be a washing machine out there.

The last couple of days of the outlook drop back down to 5 ft to 6 ft swells with onshore winds and rain. Not your best bet.

The true standout? Lock in Thursday the 27th of August for the morning session. The combination of that 6 ft SSW groundswell and glassy conditions is the best quality-to-access balance in the whole forecast. The water is cold, so bring a good wetsuit, but the waves will be worth it.

Stay frothy,
Rusty

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