Fishermans Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve got the outlook for Fishermans Reef. Honestly, it’s a pretty grim stretch ahead. This spot is a very sheltered, rarely-breaking reef that’s best for beginners, but there’s barely a wave to be had for the next two and a half weeks, and when there is something, the conditions are ugly.

The first real run of any energy doesn’t kick in until Thursday the 28th of August, and even then it’s poor. The water is sitting at 57°F, which is about what you’d expect for this time of year—nothing unusual there.

Starting Thursday the 20th through to Wednesday the 27th, it’s flat to knee-high dribble with swell under 2 ft, mostly from the east, with tiny periods. The combined energy is weak, typically between 7 and 41 (weak energy). Winds are light and mostly cross-off or offshore, so the water’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride. Saturday the 23rd shows a brief pulse of 3 ft from the NNW, but with a period of only 4 seconds and a fresh breeze from the WNW, it’s messy and short-period slop. Energy is still only 48 (weak).

Then from Thursday the 27th, winds turn onshore from the north, and the small bump we see Friday the 28th morning—5 ft from the NNW with a 6-second period and moderate cross-off wind—pumps the combined energy to 171 (moderate wave energy). But it’s still tagged as poor surf. The swell direction is NNW, not the optimum NE, so it’s not hitting the break well. By Friday afternoon, the wind goes offshore from the WSW at 19 mph, but the swell drops to 2 ft from the north. Still, it’s clean and offshore, but tiny.

The rest of the run into early September is a mess. Monday the 1st of September sees a 5 ft ENE swell with a 7-second period and a gentle cross-onshore breeze, combined energy 196 (moderate). By Wednesday the 3rd, we’ve got 6 ft NE swell, but onshore winds at 16 mph and a short 6-second period. The energy is 215 (moderate), but it’s choppy and onshore—not worth paddling out.

The biggest spike comes Friday the 4th of September: 8 ft from the NNE with an 8-second period, onshore winds from the ENE at 12–16 mph, and combined energy hitting 725 to 887 (strong wave energy). That’s a serious swell, but it’s too big for beginners, and with the wind straight onshore and the swell direction not matching the optimum NE, the quality is poor. For a small, sheltered reef, this is more of a washing machine than a wave. Honestly, it’s looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing through that period.

Bottom line: Fishermans Reef has no good surf options in the 16-day window. The break is rarely-breaking and inconsistent, so a blank run like this isn’t unusual. Forecasts can change, but right now, there’s nothing to get excited about.

Rusty

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