Hullets Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut straight to it. The next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag at Hullets Reef. We’ve got some proper size showing up, but the wind gods aren’t playing nice for most of it, so you’ll have to pick your moments.

The first few days are a write-off for clean conditions. Wednesday morning (16 Sep) has a solid 10ft SW swell with a 14-second period, but that fresh SSW offshore wind is making things a bit choppy and questionable. The wave energy is strong at 3628. By the afternoon, the wind swings cross-off and the swell drops slightly to 8ft, still clean-ish, but the report says it’s marginal. Thursday (17 Sep) is a bust – 8ft but fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions. Friday (18 Sep) is even worse with strong cross-onshore winds and messy waves around 6ft.

Saturday (19 Sep) switches to a shorter, weaker E swell – 8ft but only an 8-second period, and it’s all cross-onshore choppy mess. Sunday (20 Sep) has the SW swell back at 8ft with a 14-second period, but the cross-shore wind keeps it lumpy. Monday (21 Sep) is a bit smaller at 5ft SW, with a cross-off breeze in the morning – clean but only moderate energy at 1429. The afternoon drops to 5ft and starts getting messy.

Tuesday (22 Sep) is poor – the swell drops to 4ft with a short E period, and the wind is cross-onshore choppy. Wednesday (23 Sep) has a strong WSW cross-off wind at 45 km/h in the morning but the swell is tiny at 4ft. The afternoon cleans up with an offshore wind and 3ft SW, but it’s weak.

Here’s where things get interesting. Thursday (24 Sep) is a full-blown storm day – 12ft SSE swell in the morning, but the wind is a strong cross-onshore, and by the afternoon it’s near gale force at 55 km/h, up to 10ft – blown out and messy. Not for the faint-hearted, and definitely not for beginners. That’s a kite-surfing day if ever I saw one.

But then, Friday (25 Sep) brings a turnaround. The morning has 8ft SSW swell with a 13-second period and a cross-off breeze – clean, decent quality. The afternoon drops a bit to 7ft but still clean with fresh offshore wind. Saturday (26 Sep) is tricky – morning has a near gale westerly at 50 km/h, but it’s offshore and clean with 6ft. The afternoon settles to a WSW offshore at 35 km/h, still clean at 6ft.

Now, the standout – Sunday (27 Sep). This is the pick of the whole window. The morning has 5ft SW swell with a 13-second period, light cross-off wind, and the report says excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The afternoon brings a punchier 10ft E swell with an 8-second period, but the wind goes gentle cross-off and it’s clean. Moderate wave energy at 1795. That’s a window of opportunity, folks. If you can get out there early, you’ll be rewarded.

After that, Monday (28 Sep) is back to poor – 12ft E swell with strong cross-onshore winds, up to 13ft in the afternoon – messy and blown out. Tuesday (29 Sep) is similar, 12ft E swell but still cross-onshore and lumpy. Not your day.

The final stretch – Wednesday (30 Sep) – has a WSW cross-off wind in the morning with 8ft E swell, clean but marginal. The afternoon is where it shines: light SSW offshore wind, 7ft E swell, and the report says “very good surf conditions.” Clean, glassy, offshore. That’s your second standout. Thursday (01 Oct) fades out with a small 4ft E swell and gentle cross-onshore winds – poor.

So, the long-range picture: the best bets are Sunday morning the 27th and Wednesday afternoon the 30th. Both are clean, with decent swell and offshore or cross-off winds. The water temp is about average for this time of year – nothing unusual there. And remember, this is a reef break, so with that longer period SW swell, it’ll handle better than a beach break. But keep an eye on the tides – the report flags some questionable tide conditions, so do your homework.

Stay safe out there, and don’t force it on the storm days – that’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle.

Rusty.

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