Duds Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight up – this 16-day run is one of the quietest stretches I’ve seen in a while around here. There’s a long gap, basically the first week, with nothing worth paddling out for. The first real sniff of anything comes on Wednesday, 12 August, and even then, it’s marginal. For a reef that’s fairly consistent, this blank run is pretty unusual, but sometimes the ocean just shuts down.

Alright, let’s talk about Duds Reef. For the first week, from Wednesday 5 August right through to Tuesday 11 August, it’s all “poor surf conditions” – cross-wind, cross-chop, and very little push. The water temp is sitting at 81°F with about average conditions for this time of year, but honestly, the waves are so weak you won’t be in the water long enough to notice.

Wednesday 12 August is the first day where things get just barely interesting. The swell picks up to 3 ft from the S, with a long period of 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is 1054 (moderate to strong), so there’s some grunt in the water. The catch is the wind is cross-shore from the ENE at 16 mph, keeping things messy. This is a reef break, and long-period S swells can work well here if the direction lines up, but the optimum swell direction for Duds Reef is from the SSE, so the S direction is a little off. It’s only a 1 out of 10, so it’s a marginal call – maybe worth a look if you’re desperate, but I wouldn’t get the hopes up.

After that, the rest of the period, from Thursday 13 August right through to Thursday 20 August, slides back into poor surf. The swell stays small, mostly under 4 ft, with periods all over the place, but the wind never lets up – cross-shore and often strong, with a fresh to strong breeze (19-25 mph). On Saturday 15 August afternoon, there’s a 6 ft E swell, but it’s short period at 7 seconds and still cross-wind – messy, lumpy, and not worth paddling for. For surfers, this is a write-off. If you’ve got a kite, the beach setup might look more interesting on those windy days, but for a paddle, this reef is staying quiet.

So the bottom line: There’s no standout here, not even close. The only day that might offer a wave is Wednesday 12 August, and it’s marginal at best. Patrol the coffee shop instead.

Rusty.

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