Inch Reefs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way. It’s a flat start with nothing to get excited about for the first little while, but there are a couple of windows that might get the heart pumping if you’re patient.

The first real sniff of surfable waves shows up Monday afternoon the 13th, but it's weak. The only spot on the radar is Inch Reefs, and honestly, it's a slow burner. The early part of the week is all about small, clean conditions, but you’re looking at dribbly 1 ft to 2.3 ft waves. The water temp is sitting at 64.8°, which is a solid 4.9° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s pretty unusual, a real treat if you’re paddling out without a thick suit.

Monday afternoon the 13th brings a tiny 1 ft swell from the SW with a nice long period of 19 seconds – classic groundswell energy, but just not enough height to do much. Combined energy is weak at 105. The wind is light offshore from the NNE, so it will be clean and glassy, just tiny.

Tuesday the 14th is better, with a 2.3 ft W swell in the morning, though the period drops to 10 seconds. Still, the ENE offshore breeze at 10 km/h keeps it tidy. The afternoon fades a little to 2 ft.

Wednesday morning the 15th is 1.6 ft from the W, but it’s the afternoon that’s the pick of the early week – a glassy 1.3 ft from the SW with a very long 16-second period. The combined energy is low at 79, but those long lines will be silky clean with no wind at all. It’s a lovely window for a log or a longboard if you’re happy with knee-high runners.

Thursday the 16th morning has 1.3 ft with a 14-second period and clean offshore NNE wind. But after that, the surf really drops off. From Thursday afternoon all the way through to Monday the 20th, we are looking at poor surf conditions – tiny, weak, and just not worth paddling out for. That’s a solid gap of nearly four days with nothing.

Things slowly start to come back to life on Monday the 20th afternoon with 2 ft from the W, combined energy still low at 93. Tuesday the 21st is the first standout worth a mention. Tuesday morning sees 3 ft from the WNW with a moderate 10-second period, and combined energy bumps up to 167. The wind is light from the north. By Tuesday afternoon, it’s a full 3.3 ft from the west with energy hitting 181. This is the first window with a bit of push. Inch Reefs is an exposed SW-facing point, and that W/NW swell will wrap in nicely. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but with the wind being cross-off from the north, it should be pretty clean for the advanced crew. Crowds are possible here sometimes.

Wednesday the 22nd drops right back to nothing again – 0.3 ft. Another big gap. From Thursday the 23rd through to Sunday the 27th, conditions are poor. The swell tries to push up on Thursday morning with 3.6 ft from the W, but the wind is a messy cross-shore from the SE at 20 km/h, making it choppy and ugly. The combined energy is moderate at 183, but the quality is terrible. It stays onshore and messy for days.

Saturday the 25th afternoon has a 5.2 ft W swell, but it’s onshore from the SW at 15 km/h. That’s a messy, blown-out 5.2 ft. Combined energy is strong at 332, but it’s not surfable in a nice way – honestly, this setup with the strong onshore wind and beach/reef break is looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The final real chance comes on Tuesday the 28th. Tuesday morning brings a 5.9 ft swell from the WSW with an 8-second period, and combined energy jumps to a whopping 617 – that is strong, powerful stuff. But the wind is cross-shore from the WNW at 25 km/h, creating a cross-chop. It’s big and unruly. At 5.9 ft, this is getting too big for beginners. The period is short, so it will be sectiony and steep. Tuesday afternoon sees the swell hit 8.2 ft from the SW, with a 9-second period and energy of 993 – that is very strong. But it’s cross-onshore from the WNW at 25 km/h and choppy. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, it will be a grindy, bumpy session. That afternoon is the biggest swell of the forecast, but far from the cleanest.

The standout: If you are chasing the best condition window, it’s Tuesday the 21st. The morning has 3 ft from the WNW, and the afternoon pushes up to a clean 3.3 ft from the west with light north winds. Combined energy of 167 to 181, decent period, clean conditions. That is the best balance of size and quality in this 16-day run.

The long-range gamble: Tuesday the 28th morning has proper size (5.9

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