H-Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here.

Let's be straight with you—this is a tough one for the H-Reef. The next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We're looking at a long stretch of poor conditions, with the first few days a total write-off. The wind is almost constantly cross-shore or cross-onshore, and while there's the occasional little bump, it's just choppy and messy. The real interest doesn't show up until the very end of the month, and even then it's a bit of a gamble.

Right now, and for the next week or so, the wind is a problem. It's blowing from the east and east-northeast at 12 to 15 mph, keeping the surface all chopped up. The swell is pretty weak, with a combined energy reading in the low hundreds (like 180 to 484) for most of it. You'll see a small spike of 1 ft on the 16th morning, but it's from the WNW and cross-wind, so forget it. The water temperature is sitting at 79° which is about average for this time of year, so that's one small win.

We get a bit of a tease on the 21st and 22nd with some long-period swell (14-15 seconds) pushing the energy up to 400-odd, but the heights are only 3 ft to 3 ft. It's still messy with the cross-wind, so it's one for the optimists only.

The real standout is the last weekend of July and into the start of August. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th see a massive jump in energy. The combined energy hits 1392 then 2486, with the swell coming from the east at 4 ft to 7 ft and a very long period of 16 to 18 seconds. That's a proper groundswell. The problem is the wind is still cross-shore, and the forecast notes "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions." It's a glimmer of hope, but a long way out.

Then, on Monday the 27th of July, the finder shows a big, powerful swell. We're looking at 12 ft to 13 ft from the ENE, with a period of 15 seconds and a combined energy reading over 6500. That's serious energy. But the wind is cross-onshore, and it's accompanied by rain showers. The wave comment says "marginal," which is a bit of a code for "this could be a beast, but the wind is going to wreck it." For a reef break like H-Reef, that size and direction with a cross-onshore wind is going to be a proper washing machine. Only for the experts, and even then, it's a maybe. The wind does ease up a bit on Tuesday the 28th, with a gentle breeze at 9 mph, but it's still cross-onshore and the swell is dropping fast.

Overall, there's nothing to get excited about for the first week. The best bet, if you're desperate, is to keep an eye on that last weekend of July and the start of August. The energy is there, but the wind needs to swing. If it does, H-Reef could be the standout of the whole stretch. But as it stands, I'd say the Saturday 27th morning is the only real window for a proper session, and that's a big call for 10 days away.

Rusty.

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