Duds Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s run it down for Duds Reef.

We’ve got a long dry spell kicking things off. From now right through the end of August, the surf is pretty much unrideable. The wind is stuck out of the ENE at 25 to 35 km/h, blowing cross-shore and making a lumpy, choppy mess of the water. You get some groundswell pulses with decent 14–18 second periods, but that wind just kills it. The combined wave energy is mostly moderate, around 400–600, but the quality is zero. Water temps are about what you’d expect for the season.

Monday, 31 August, is more of the same – 20–25 km/h cross-shore wind, small weak swell, energy down around 317 (weak). Not worth the drive.

Then we get a silver lining. On the morning of Tuesday, 1 September, the wind goes glassy – just 5 km/h out of the ESE. That’s a game changer. You’ve got a clean 0.9-foot groundswell from the SSW with an extra-long 18-second period. That’s the kind of long-period energy that loves a reef setup like Duds. The combined energy is 934 (moderate to strong). That morning is a true standout.

Later Tuesday, the swell jumps to 2 feet from the ENE with a short 9-second period. The wind is light cross-on, and the energy cranks up to 1400 (strong), but conditions are only marginal – it’s big, but not clean.

Wednesday the 2nd through the rest of the week is a letdown. The groundswell sticks around at about 1.0 foot from the S, but the wind goes onshore or cross-shore, and the energy fades into the 800s then lower. Friday the 4th brings another 2-foot pulse from the east, but with short period and fresh cross-shore wind, it’s messy.

Second week shows a couple of cleaner, smaller options. Saturday the 5th morning has a clean 1-foot east swell with moderate cross-offshore wind – energy at 526 (moderate), but only marginal quality. Sunday the 6th is a washout with southerly winds and thunderstorms. By Monday the 7th, it’s back to a 0.9-foot, long-period SSW swell, but onshore wind keeps it marginal.

So the call is simple: the morning of Tuesday, 1 September is your best bet. Glassy conditions, 0.9 feet of clean, long-period SSW groundswell on the reef – that’s the window. Everything else is mostly a bust. As always, it’s a week out so don’t lock it in, but keep a close eye on that day.

Rusty out.

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