The Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. So, for The Heads, the water’s sitting at 60°, which is a solid 4° colder than usual for this time of year – mate, that’s a proper nip in the air, you’ll be wanting a thick steamer for sure.

The first few days are a bit of a mixed bag, nothing to get too excited about until later in the week. Tuesday’s got a 5ft east swell at 11 seconds, but the wind’s a light cross-onshore, and with moderate wave energy (854), it’s just a messy, marginal prospect. Wednesday sees a bump in size with a 8ft SW groundswell (14 sec) and strong energy (2714), but the morning is cross-shore and the afternoon gets messy with a cross-onshore – one for the hardcore only.

Thursday and Friday are a write-off, honestly. Strong cross-shore winds and lumpy chop make it a no-go. You’d want to be a kite surfer to get any fun outta that setup.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Saturday the 19th of September is the standout. The morning glass-off is a dream – 8ft of ESE swell with 9-second period and 1599 energy, and the wind is dead glass. This is excellent for experienced surfers, and the waves will be clean as a whistle. The afternoon holds at 7ft and still glassy, so that’s a full day of quality.

Sunday the 20th of September keeps the good times rollin’. Early morning glass-off again, with a solid 7ft SW groundswell pumping in at 14 seconds (2108 energy). It’s a long-period groundswell, which will really stand up and offer some grunt at The Heads sandbar, but just be aware it might close out a bit quick at a beach break – for this spot, it’s a beauty. Afternoon stays glassy, too. That Saturday-Sunday window is your best bet for this whole period.

Monday the 21st drops off a bit to 4ft, but still glassy in the morning – a nice cleanup session for someone not chasing size. Wednesday the 23rd of September morning looks alright with a 3ft SW swell and glassy conditions, pretty small but fun for a log.

Then we get a gap of a few average-to-poor days before Thursday the 24th of September morning throws in another big pulse: 8ft SSW groundswell at 15 seconds, with massive energy (3912). The wind’s only light cross-shore, but the size and period mean this is for experts only – absolutely pumping but heavy. The rest of that weekend and into the following week stays in the 7ft+ range but with iffy cross-shore winds, so nothing that beats that first Saturday-Sunday window.

Tuesday the 29th of September afternoon gives you a late glass-off with a 7ft SE swell and 9-second period – clean and fun, but not as powerful as the earlier standouts. The long-range stuff on the 30th of September drops right off.

So, the clear champions here are Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th of September. Get out there for the glassy windows with that 7-8ft groundswell – it’s gonna be a proper session. Just watch out for the chill in the water.

Rusty.

Read more