Inch Reefs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happenin’ at Inch Reefs for the next couple weeks. Gotta be honest, it’s a long dry spell before we get anythin’ worth paddlin’ for.

We start off flat and ugly. From Thursday the 6th right through to the 9th, it’s tiny, weak, and mostly choppy. Swells are barely 1ft from the west and southwest, with periods so short it’s just wind slop. The water’s a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, at 64°, but that’s the only good thing.

Saturday the 8th sees a bump to 4ft from the south-southwest, but it’s a short period wind swell (7 seconds) with a moderate cross-onshore wind makin’ it choppy. The wave energy is moderate (192). Not worth your time.

Then we hit a quiet stretch. Sunday the 9th through Tuesday the 11th is mostly under 3ft, with light winds but weak, shapeless energy. Monday the 10th morning has a glassy 3ft west swell, 8 second period, and 100 energy units – it’s surfable, but it’s ordinary. Nothin’ special.

Tuesday the 11th afternoon gets a pulse: 5ft from the west-southwest with a longer 11 second period, and the energy jumps to 582 – moderate to strong. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the south-southwest, so it’s choppy. Poor conditions.

Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th have some size, 4ft to 5ft, with energy up to 451, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore. Not clean. The swell direction is west-southwest, which is off the optimum southwest for this point. Pass.

Things stay small and weak from the 14th to the 16th. Under 2ft, light winds, but no energy. The 16th afternoon sees a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the north-northwest, but only 2ft of west swell. Clean but tiny.

Now, here’s the good part. Monday the 17th of August is the standout. Morning brings a clean 6ft swell from the west, 8 seconds, with a nice cross-offshore breeze from the north-northeast. The energy is strong (405). Afternoon gets even better: 6ft from the west-northwest, still clean with a light north cross-offshore. That’s the one to mark on your calendar. The swell direction is a bit north of the optimum southwest, but for a point break, that west-northwest angle can wrap in nicely.

After that, Tuesday the 18th falls apart with onshore winds and choppy 4ft surf. Then Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th push up serious size – 7ft to 8ft from the west-northwest, with periods of 10 to 11 seconds and massive energy (584 up to 1226). That’s strong to very strong wave energy. But the wind is a moderate cross-shore or cross-onshore, so it’s cross-chop city. At 8ft, this is expert territory only, and the messy wind makes it a tough call. The 20th morning has the best chance with a 8ft, 11 second groundswell and lighter cross-shore wind – could be wild for the experienced crew. It’s marginal, not clean.

Friday the 21st drops back to 5ft and 5ft from the west, with a 10 second period, but the moderate cross-shore wind from the northwest keeps it chopped. Not great.

So, the first week and a half is a bust. There’s a big gap from the 6th to the 16th with hardly any surf worth mentionin’. But Monday the 17th is the true standout – clean, solid, and punchy. The 19th and 20th offer size for experts, but the wind holds it back from being perfect.

-Rusty

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