Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you about the next couple of weeks. It's not looking like a classic run for Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa). We've got a solid groundswell setup on the way, but the wind and weather gods aren't playing ball. This is a stretch for advanced crew who know their reef lineups and can handle some messy conditions.

The water's sitting at 83°, which is about 1° warmer than usual for this time of year; so just a touch above average, nothing wild.

Right now, on Wednesday the 2nd, we're looking at 5 ft SSW groundswell with a long 15-second period, packing a very strong wave energy (1360). However, it's blowing 12 mph onshore from the west. It's poor. That's the story for the first week. Day after day, the wind stays stubbornly onshore, gusting up to 19 mph at times. The swell does run a bit bigger towards the weekend of the 6th and 7th, but it's small, dropping to 3 ft. Then Thursday the 10th sees a jump back to 4 ft with a very long 17-second period and massive energy (1192), but that wind is just going to chop it to pieces. We've got a solid run of 6-7 days here that are just not worth paddling out for the average surfer; the charts say poor across the board.

Now, if you're willing to wait and you're an expert, things get interesting in the second week. Around the 11th and 12th of September, the swell builds up properly. The 11th brings in a 6 ft SSW swell (energy 2189), and the 12th sees 6 ft again but with an 18-second period and incredible energy (2686). That's very strong. The size, 6 ft to 6 ft, is getting into expert territory, and the period is long enough for those beautiful, lined-up reef waves. The catch? The wind is still a moderate cross-onshore. It's not perfect, but the power is there for a session if you can handle the bump. Later, on the 16th, we see 7 ft from the south-southwest (2361) – that's big, expert-only territory again with strong onshore wind. Then on the morning of the 17th, a 4 ft SSW swell with a massive 22-second period and energy of 2844. That's a very long period groundswell, which will wrap deep into the bay and hold up well at this reef, but onshore wind is still forecast.

Overall, the only true standouts in terms of pure swell energy are the 11th, 12th, and the 17th. The 12th of September has the biggest energy reading and longest period, but the 17th morning, with that 22-second interval, has the potential for the most drawn-out, mechanical lines you could ever want at this spot. For a break that's fairly consistent, this long stretch of poor conditions is a bummer. We just need that wind to clock around. Fingers crossed the forecast changes for the better, because the swell is definitely coming.

Rusty.

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