Inch Reefs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Look, I’ve got to be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag here at Inch Reefs. We’ve got a stretch of iffy conditions ahead, but there are a couple of fleeting moments that might just get your hopes up. The overall pattern is pretty subdued, with a lot of cross-shore and onshore wind messing things up for days at a time. Let’s walk through it.

The first real chance to wet a line comes on Wednesday, 12 August. Morning sees a 5ft swell from the southwest with a 9-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore from the SSE at 6 mph, leaving the surface a bit bumpy. It’s marginal at best – the combined swell energy is 381 (moderate), but it’s not going to be clean. The afternoon on the 12th is worse, with choppier conditions and a 5ft south-west swell.

Thursday, 13 August, is more of the same – 5ft to 5ft south-west swell, but cross-onshore winds keep it messy. Not worth rushing for.

Now, Friday, 14 August, isn’t a total write-off. We’ve got 5ft waves coming from the west with an 8-second period, and the wind turns cross-shore out of the NW at 9 mph. It’s still marginal – combined energy at 344 (moderate) – but the cross-shore wind might tidy it up a little. Still, I wouldn’t call it a standout.

Then we hit a real lull. From Saturday, 15 August, right through to Tuesday, 18 August morning, the swell drops to tiny, flat levels – 0.7ft to 1ft – with some glassy or clean conditions but absolutely no power. A couple of those early morning windows on Sunday 16 August and Tuesday 18 August are glassy, but with waves barely 1.0ft to 3ft, there’s nothing to ride. The combined energy is weak (14 to 113). It’s a gap of about four days with no real surf.

On Monday, 17 August, we get a brief flicker of hope. The morning shows a 4ft west swell with an 8-second period, and an offshore wind from the NNE at 6 mph. This is clean and surfable – combined energy at 163 (moderate). For a point break like Inch Reefs, that offshore flow could line up a few nice ones for the advanced crew. But it’s just a one-morning window; the afternoon gets blown out.

After that, from Wednesday, 19 August onward, the bottom drops out again. We’re looking at tiny 0.7ft to 2ft swells for the rest of the 16-day window. Even with some clean morning winds, the energy is pathetic – combined readings hover between 14 and 78 (weak). The 14- to 16-second period swells you see on the 19th and 20th are long-period groundswell, but with barely any height, they’re not producing anything rideable at this point break. By the 22nd and 23rd, onshore winds add chop to the already tiny waves.

The one true standout is Monday morning, 17 August. Clean, offshore wind, and just enough west swell to make Inch Reefs work for the experienced surfer. It’s not big or epic, but it’s the best on offer. For the rest – be patient, or find another hobby for a while.

Rusty.

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