Inch Reefs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it's a pretty flat and quiet picture for Inch Reefs for a while. We've got a long stretch of small, weak swell with fairly ordinary conditions. The first real standout doesn't appear until the tail end of the period, so we're looking at a lot of waiting around. The water is sitting at 66° which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it won't be a cold wait.

The first few days are a write-off. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th have tiny waves, nothing worth paddling out for. Monday the 20th sees a small bump to 2ft from the west, but it's just not happening. The combined energy is only 97, so it's barely a ripple. That's the story through Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday – all small, all weak, with the odd bit of offshore wind but nothing to ride.

Then we get a bit of a tease on Saturday the 26th. The swell jumps to 8ft from the WNW, with a combined energy of 790. That's a solid pulse of moderate energy. But the wind is cross-on, and the quality is poor. It's a messy, choppy affair. The following Monday the 27th sees a similar 7ft swell, but again, cross-on wind spoils it. For a point break like Inch Reefs, that cross-onshore wind is a buzzkill.

Now, the one to keep your eye on is Thursday the 30th of July. That's a proper standout. We've got an 8ft swell from the WNW with a combined energy of 939, jumping to 1064 in the afternoon. That's a lot of power. The wind is light and cross-off in the morning, and only light cross-on in the afternoon. For a spot that's exposed to SW swell, this WNW direction is a bit off, but the size and energy are undeniable. This is serious, heavy swell – over 8ft, so it's for experts only. The period is short at 8-9 seconds, so it'll be a bit of a lumpy, powerful close-out on the reef, not a long-period groundswell. It's a heavy, powerful, and potentially dangerous day. That's the only true standout in the whole 16 days, but it's a real one.

After that, we drop right back down. A bit of a pulse on Sunday the 2nd of August, with 6ft from the west and a combined energy of 460, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, so it's marginal at best.

So, for the real, solid, powerful stuff, it's all about Thursday the 30th of July. Get on it if you're an expert and can handle a heavy, short-period swell. The rest of the run is a case of checking the forecast and hoping for a change.

Rusty.

Read more