Christies Reef Surf Guide

Christies Reef in Adelaide is a reasonably exposed reef break that has unreliable waves with no particular seasonal pattern. The best wind direction is from the east. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell angle is from the south southwest. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around low tide. Often Crowded. Take care of rips, sharks and sharks.

Christies Reef Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef3inconsistent
58°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Christies Reef:

The best conditions reported for surf at Christies Reef occur when a South-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

What's the best time of year to surf Christies Reef (for consistent clean waves)?

februaryBest Season: spring
The best time of year for surfing Christies Reef with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Spring  and most often the month of February. Clean surfable waves are typically found 2% of the time in February while 5% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 93% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
2%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
5%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
93%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Christies Reef Location Map

Interactive Christies Reef surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The nearest passenger airport to Christies Reef is Adelaide International Airport (ADL) in Australia, which is 20 km (12 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Christies Reef is Woomera Airport (UMR), also in Australia, 468 km (291 miles) away.

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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Christies Reef Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 11:07 Local Time
Wednesday 09
12:30PM3:30PM6:30PM9:30PM
Wave (ft)
6.5
WNW
6
WNW
Period (s) 6 6 - -
Wind (mph)
20
20
15
20
Wind State cross-
on
cross-
on
on cross-
on

Swell History at Christies Reef

Surf stats for Christies Reef, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Christies Reef

Wind stats for Christies Reef, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Christies Reef Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings
Based on 1 vote.
  • Overall:3.0
  • Quality on a good day:3.0
  • Consistency of Surf:2.0
  • Difficulty Level:3.0
  • Crowds:2.0
  • ...

See all 18 ratings


Review
Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.
steeve whitehead from Australia
“Christies reef is considered to be the remenants of a fossilized sand hill, the top of which lies in the intertidal zone. The shape of which is that perfect crescent of the wind swept sand hill. For the surfer this means great shaped waves. In this case you have a right hander which continually gets longer and breaks further from the right (looking seaward) as it gets bigger.

The wave lies some 500 meter paddle from the boat ramp at Christies Beach (the first section of Y-steps) and like Y-steps really needs at least a tide which is half way in and rising. Low tide at Christies Reef shows the reef out of the water and the waves failing to build as they have no water to draw against. The reef seldom works, like most of the mid, due to the lack of swell reaching the mid coast, the best winds are- no wind or easterly. I have surfed it to 10 foot wave face and consider it to be the best reef on the coast. The north side of the reef has a bit of a left stepping up onto very shallow rock, if you like to loose fins. When you have finished surfing, catch the biggest wave you can and ride it into the wave cross over through and behind the reef, its great fun and will take you most of the way back to the beach at Y-steps (on a bigger day).”

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