Estaleiro Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Estaleiro Reef and it’s a pretty frustrating run. We’ve got a solid two-week window, but honestly, there’s not much to get excited about until the second week rolls around. The first week is a write-off for any decent wave quality, with only a couple of mornings offering something barely surfable.

Friday the 11th is a bit of a tease. Morning sees a weak 3ft swell from the ENE, with a period of 8 seconds, whipped up by a cross-offshore NNW breeze. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is bang on average for this time of year. The combined wave energy is weak (111), and while the conditions are clean, the waves themselves are just ordinary. It’s the same deal in the afternoon with a touch more size (3ft) but still very ordinary.

Then we hit a solid dead zone. From Saturday the 12th all the way through to Monday the 14th, the wind goes wrong. We get a chunky pulse of swell hitting 6ft on Monday afternoon, but it’s being hammered by an onshore ESE breeze and the energy is high (576), but it’s just a mess. Then Tuesday the 15th... that’s the standout.

Tuesday morning is the only true highlight in the entire outlook. We’ve got a clean 6ft easterly swell, with a 9-second period, and the wind swings light WSW cross-offshore – glassy, clean conditions. The wave energy is strong (572). This is the call. The swell is over 5ft, so it’s probably too much for beginners, but for the intermediates and up, with that wind and that size, it’s the best we get. There’s a slight cross-on in the afternoon, so get out early. Crowds are ‘sometimes’ an issue here, so you might have a few mates out.

After that, it drops off again. Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are back to poor or marginal conditions. There’s a weird 16-second period pulse on Thursday afternoon, but it’s from the SE with a cross-on wind, so it’s not doing this reef much good.

Friday the 18th shapes up as another decent session. Morning sees a 6ft ENE swell (6-second period – a bit short) with a light cross-offshore NW breeze, and the energy is strong (416). The best part might be Friday afternoon when it goes glassy and drops to 4ft with a 7-second period. That glassy window is a beauty.

Saturday the 19th starts glassy again with a 5ft ENE swell (8-second period), but the wind swings onshore by the afternoon and spoils it.

The rest of the run is a washout. From Sunday the 20th all the way to the 26th, it’s a mix of weak swell, onshore wind, and poor conditions. Most days have tiny waves under 3ft. The only slight glimmer is Thursday the 24th morning with a glassy 2ft swell, but it’s just ordinary.

So, for the whole 16 days, Tuesday the 15th morning is your one big chance. Get stuck into that 6ft east swell with clean glassy winds. Friday the 18th morning is your next best. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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