Cardiff Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: looking at the next sixteen days, this is a tough stretch for Cardiff Reef. We’ve got a long, quiet run ahead. The first few days of this window are the only ones showing any real pulse, but even then, it’s a struggle.

The first bit of action is on Wednesday, July 29th. We’re looking at a long-period groundswell coming in from the SSW, with a period of 16 seconds. That’s some proper energy moving through, with a combined swell energy of 674 (moderate). The swell height is only around 4ft, and the wind is a light cross-on from the SW at 6 mph. It’s a little messy, but the ocean is breathing. The best call is the Wednesday morning session. The swell ticks up to 4ft in the afternoon with a bit more energy (771), but it's still just a marginal day. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing weird going on.

By Thursday the 30th, the swell drops fast. 3ft Thursday morning, then it falls off a cliff to 2ft and a short, weak 7-second period by afternoon. That’s a no-go.

Friday the 31st brings a little rebound, with 4ft of SSW swell and a 13-second period, energy around 625-704. Still, the wind is onshore and the call is “marginal” at best. It’s frustrating because the potential is there with that longer period, but it’s not coming together.

From Saturday, August 1st, right through to the end of the window on Thursday, August 13th, it’s a wasteland. Swell heights barely reach 3ft, periods are all over the place, and the wind is consistently cross-on or onshore. The combined energy mostly sits in the low hundreds (between 155 and 522), which is weak. There are days where the period jumps up to 19 or 20 seconds (like August 7th and 10th), which is a very long interval, but with only 2ft to 2ft of swell, it’s just not enough to break properly. Cardiff Reef is a reef break, so it would handle that long-period energy well in theory, but there’s just no size to work with.

The standout – and I use that term loosely – is Wednesday, July 29th. That’s our best shot. The long-period SSW groundswell has the most energy and the biggest size we’ll see. The wind is light, even if it’s cross-on. It’s the only day where the ocean feels alive. It’s still a marginal call, so keep your expectations in check. The rest of the run is a blank. For a spot that’s “very consistent,” this is a real bummer. The good news is, it usually doesn’t stay this flat for long. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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