Hullets Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Alright, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. The good news is there’s always some kind of swell running, but the wind and conditions are going to play havoc for a lot of it. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming but plenty of days where it’s just going to be a messy, blown-out mess. The standout moments are going to be brief, so you’ll want to be on it when it happens.

Our first decent window comes in on Thursday afternoon, the 10th of September, down at Hullets Reef. The morning is a write-off with a cross-off wind at 19 mph and mediocre surf, but the afternoon turns it on. We’ve got a 7ft SW groundswell, period a solid 13 seconds, and the wind swings offshore from the WSW at 16 mph. That’s clean, lined-up reef surfing. The combined wave energy is strong at 2194, so there’s plenty of push. This is a beginner-friendly reef, but with that size, it’s getting a bit punchy for total newbies. The water is much colder than normal for this time of year at 59°, a whopping 7° below average, so bring a thick steamer.

Friday the 11th is your other real highlight. The morning session is glassy with a S wind at 3 mph, nearly dead calm, and a 6ft SW swell at 13 seconds (combined energy 1279). That’s clean, peeling reef waves. The wind goes cross-on in the afternoon, so the morning is the call.

After that, it gets ugly. From Saturday the 12th right through to Tuesday the 15th, we’re stuck with strong cross-onshore winds, mostly from the east, and messy conditions. Swell stays solid—over 7ft and often over 10ft—but it’s blown out. Sunday the 13th is huge, with a 13ft ESE swell and 25 mph easterlies, but it’s a washing machine. That kind of size and onshore wind at a reef is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle boarding.

There’s a little break in the weather on Tuesday the 15th. Morning brings a cross-off breeze from the WSW at 3 mph with a smaller 5ft E swell (887 combined energy), and the afternoon goes glassy again with a 5ft SW swell (930). Clean, fun waves, but much smaller than the earlier standout.

Then it’s back to the grind from Wednesday the 16th onwards. We get another big pulse on Wednesday the 16th—12ft SW swell, very long 15-second period, combined energy a massive 6134—but the wind is a strong cross-off from the SSW at 28 mph. The surf is big and powerful, but the wind keeps it from being perfect. That same size and direction repeats in the afternoon. This is expert-only territory at 12ft, but the wind isn’t ideal for the top draw.

The rest of the forecast, right through to Thursday the 25th of September, is a long stretch of poor conditions. We get consistent swell between 5ft and 8ft, mostly from the east or southeast, but the wind is relentless from the east or northeast, smashing the surface. There are no more windows of clean, good surf for the foreseeable future. If you miss Friday the 11th morning and Tuesday the 15th, you’re looking at a nearly two-week gap of blown-out, messy surf.

Best bets: Thursday afternoon the 10th and Friday morning the 11th at Hullets Reef. The afternoon on the 10th is the big, clean one. The 11th morning is the glassy, lined-up session.

Rusty.

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