Fishermans Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've been staring at the charts for Fishermans Reef and it's a pretty grim picture for the next couple of weeks. This is a very sheltered little reef, and it just doesn't have the exposure to grab any decent swell. We're looking at a long stretch of nothing much, with a few tiny windows of possibility right at the very end.

The water's sitting around 58°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no need for the thick wetsuit yet.

The first week and a bit is a write-off. From Monday the 13th to the 24th, it's all poor surf conditions with tiny, weak swell. The combined energy is mostly in the teens (14 to 55) or low hundreds, which is pathetic. We get a few moments of clean, glassy or offshore wind on the 15th and 16th, but the swell is a measly 0.7 ft from the East. There's a pulse of long-period groundswell (17 seconds) on the 17th and 18th, with offshore winds, pushing the energy up to 152, but the wave height is still only 2 ft. That's barely a ripple. It's a classic case of a super-sheltered spot missing the party.

There's a real gap in any worthwhile surf until the 25th. On Saturday the 25th, we finally see a bit of life. The swell builds to 3 ft from the ENE (12 seconds) with clean cross-offshore winds in the morning. The energy jumps to 291, which is at least moderate. It's still not great, but it's the best we've seen. Then Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th see the swell push to 5 ft from the ENE with a 13-second period. The energy is now strong, hitting 703 and 727. The winds are cross-offshore or light, so it'll be clean. This is too big for beginners, but for an experienced surfer looking for a wave, this is the standout. The direction is ENE, and the optimum for this break is NE, so it's a reasonable match.

Even then, the "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" rating tells you it's not a classic. The period is over 11 seconds, so it's a groundswell, and at a reef, that should produce some decent shape. By Tuesday the 28th, it drops back to 4 ft and glassy conditions in the morning, with energy at 333.

So, the honest truth is that if you're a beginner, you're out of luck for the whole 16 days. The 5 ft swell on the 26th and 27th is the only real window. It's a long wait for a couple of average days. The rest is just flat spells and wind chop. Don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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