Bar Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee, let's talk about Bar Reef for the next couple of weeks.

Things kick off on Monday the 20th, and honestly, we’re looking at a bit of a mixed bag to start. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year.

First up, Monday morning the 20th is looking tidy. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell rolling in from the east (692 combined energy), and it’s dead glassy with barely a breath of wind. That’s a proper session right there – clean lines, nice shape. It’s a bit of a standout for the early part of the week. Monday afternoon, the wind swings cross-on and the quality drops right off, so get it while it's good.

Tuesday the 21st sees the swell drop a touch to 4ft from the east, but it’s still clean with a light offshore wind. Worth a paddle, but not a world-beater. Wednesday the 22nd is small, with only 3ft swell, but both the morning and afternoon are clean and glassy. You’ll be on a log or a fish, but it’s doable.

Thursday the 23rd is a write-off – tiny and onshore. Friday the 24th, though, things get interesting again. A new 6ft southerly shows up for the morning (661 combined energy), with clean conditions. That’s got some punch, and it’s the second real standout. Saturday the 25th keeps it going with a 5ft southerly, but the period stretches out to 12 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy (580 combined energy). That longer period will be working well on this reef setup, giving you some nice, lined-up waves. Still clean with light winds.

Sunday the 26th is similar in size but the afternoon gets chopped up. Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th are both surfable in the mornings with clean 4ft southerly swell, but nothing that will blow your mind. Wednesday the 29th is all over the shop with strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions – give it a miss.

Now, there’s a big gap of poor conditions from Thursday the 30th of July right through to Saturday the 2nd of August. Mostly small, onshore, and just not worth getting wet for.

But then, here’s the long-range teaser. Monday the 3rd of August, the models are showing a massive 13ft southerly swell for the morning (6722 combined energy). That is huge. And with light winds and clean conditions on the cards. But, and this is a big but, at that size, Bar Reef is going to be absolutely wild. That’s expert territory only. If you’re not comfortable in heavy, powerful reef waves, sit this one out and watch from the cliffs. It’s promising, but we’re over a week out, so keep an eye on it.

Tuesday the 4th of August looks much more manageable, with a 5ft to 6ft southerly and clean conditions again. That could be a ripper day to finish the run.

So, the standout windows? Monday morning the 20th, Friday morning the 24th, and Saturday morning the 25th are your best bets for clean, fun waves. And keep a very cautious eye on that big Monday the 3rd of August swell if you’re a seasoned charger.

Rusty.

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