Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming up.

Right off the bat, it’s a tough stretch for Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa). The first week is a write-off for decent waves. We’ve got storm risks and a constant moderate onshore or cross-onshore breeze at 12 mph from the west just chopping everything up. The swell’s there, but it’s a mess. From the 13th through the 15th, we’re looking at 3 to 4 ft of short-period slop from the south with poor conditions across the board. It’s not worth paddling out.

Things start to look a little different from the 17th of August onward. On Monday the 17th, we get a pulse of very long-period groundswell out of the SSW at 4 ft, with a period of 21 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 1600 (moderate). The wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s not clean, but that long period will offer some grunty, lined-up waves at this reef. It’s still marginal, though.

The best-looking window on offer, and the standout for this whole forecast, is Tuesday the 18th of August. Swell from the SSW builds to 7 ft - 8 ft with a period of 19 seconds and combined energy hitting a whopping 4220 (very strong). That’s a serious lump of water. This is expert territory given the size, but if you’re skilled and can handle a steep drop, the power is there. Problem is, the wind stays cross-onshore, keeping it choppy on the face. If you can deal with some texture, the swell direction (SSW) is fantastic for this break, which needs that southwest angle. It’s a reef break, so it will handle that long-period energy better than a sandbar.

The rest of that week runs a bit smaller, but still solid, with 7 ft of SSW swell holding through Wednesday and Thursday the 20th, though the overall quality is still flagged as marginal or poor due to that persistent westerly wind. Crowds *sometimes* turn up here, and on a week with consistent 6 ft+ groundswell, you can bet it’ll be busy.

After the 22nd, the swell slowly backs off into the 3 to 5 ft range, and the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore. The last few days from the 24th to the 28th are again marginal, with a few pulses of longer-period swell, but the wind never really clears out for that perfect, glassy session. Water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Overall, your best bet is to target Tuesday the 18th through Thursday the 20th for the biggest, most powerful SSW groundswell. It won't be perfect, but it’ll have the most push.

Rusty.

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