Inch Reefs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let's have a look at what's on offer at Inch Reefs over the next couple weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it's a bit of a slow start. We’re looking at a run of small, weak surf with a few windows where the conditions line up enough to get wet, but nothing that’s going to get your heart racing.

The first proper chance to paddle out comes on Monday, July 13th. Early morning, there’s only a tiny 0.6ft SSW swell, but the wind is light offshore from the ENE. It’s clean but pretty gutless. The combined energy is weak (51). By the afternoon, a 1.0ft SW swell rolls in with a period of 19 seconds – that's a long period groundswell, so waves will be clean and lined up but very inconsistent. The wind stays offshore from the NE, and the energy picks up a bit to (105). It's surfable, but you’ll be scratching for waves.

Tuesday, July 14th, is more promising. There’s a 2ft swell from the W. It’s not big, but the period is short at 10 seconds. The wind stays light offshore from the ENE both morning and afternoon, keeping the surface clean. The energy is moderate (128 and 120). It’s not a standout, but it’s the best small-wave fun you'll have in this stretch.

Things go quiet again for the next week. We get a few brief moments of flat glassy conditions, like Thursday morning July 16th and Friday morning July 17th, with tiny 1ft swells and glassy wind, but the energy is way down (47). Honestly, from the 15th right through to the 26th of July, it's mostly poor surf and you'd be better off doing something else.

Now, here’s the real story that develops late in the forecast. Look ahead to Sunday, July 26th. A proper southwest swell starts building. By Monday morning, July 27th, we are staring down a 12ft swell from the W with a massive amount of energy behind it (1837). That is strong, powerful surf. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is howling from the WSW at 22 mph, cross-onshore and lumpy. The forecast calls it “poor surf conditions” because it’s going to be a messy, howling mess. It cleans up a little by the afternoon, with a 13ft swell and even more energy (2896), but that cross-onshore wind is still strong. This is expert territory only – well over 8ft. The length of the swell period at 9-10 seconds means it’ll be a lumpy, closing-out wall at Inch Reefs. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

So, the honest call? The best chance for a decent, clean surf is Tuesday, July 14th, with those 2ft waves and offshore wind. For the big stuff on July 27th, you’d need to be a real waterman willing to battle strong winds and huge, messy waves. It's a long-range promise but not a clean one.

Rusty.

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