Inch Reefs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day crew, Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks at Inch Reefs.

Right out of the gate, it’s a tough one. We’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch of poor surf conditions that runs from now all the way through to the end of the first week of September. Tuesday 1st through to Sunday 6th is a wasteland—solid onshore winds and messy, choppy waves with zero quality. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only comfort.

The first flicker of something half-decent finally shows up on Monday 7th September morning. The swell is a solid 8 ft out of the WSW with a moderate wave energy (1112), but the wind is light cross-onshore, keeping things a bit bumpy. It’s only marginal, and the afternoon goes backwards. After that, Tuesday 8th pumps up to a massive 13 ft from the W with an energy reading of 3198, however a fresh cross-onshore wind makes it a total write-off.

Now, here’s where I get a little excited. Thursday 10th September is the first true standout. The morning is glassy with gentle offshore NE winds at 9 mph. The swell is small—3 ft from the WSW—and the wave energy is only moderate (159), but the conditions are clean, clean, clean. For a break like Inch Reefs, a point break, a little long-period W swell with offshore wind? That’s the recipe. We also see a similar, small but clean morning on Friday 11th September—3 ft from the WSW with a light NE offshore. These are the sessions for the crew who love a glassy, lined-up wave without the chaos.

The middle of the second week gets a bit jumbled again, but the real heavy hitters land on Monday 14th September and Wednesday 16th September. On Monday 14th, the morning swell jumps to 10 ft from the WNW with a very strong 2174 energy, and the wind is light cross-offshore out of the ESE. The only catch—it’s flagged as potentially too big for Inch Reefs, so this one’s for expert paddlers only who know the reef. Wednesday 16th is even bigger: 12 ft in the morning and 13 ft in the afternoon, both out of the W with a 14-second period, clean and glassy with light cross-offshore winds. The energy is massive—4066 in the morning, 6057 in the arvo. Again, only for the experienced crew, but for them, this is a session to circle on the calendar. Keep in mind, these long-period groundswells (over 15 seconds) can jack up and break a bit straight at a beach break, but at a point like Inch Reefs, they’ll wrap in beautifully.

So, the two true standouts: Thursday 10th September morning for small, clean, offshore perfection, and Wednesday 16th September for the big, powerful groundswell with glassy winds—if you’ve got the skill to handle it. Crowds are possible here, so keep that in mind.

Rusty.

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