Jarosite Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of swell headed our way for Jarosite Reef, but it’s not a straight-forward one. This is a serious reef break, strictly for advanced surfers only, and it’s consistent. It’s exposed to a SW swell, and with the water temperature sitting at 56°F, that’s pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year—nothing weird going on there.

The action kicks off on Thursday, August 13th. The morning is showing a strong 7ft SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period, giving us a massive 2,444 combined energy. That’s a lot of power in the water. The wind is a cross-offshore breeze, so the surf will be clean. Swell this size and period will be cracking for this reef, but it’s a serious paddle out. In the afternoon, the wind drops a bit, but stays cross-off; the swell holds at 7ft. This is one of the true standouts—big, clean, and powerful, but you want to be confident in your abilities.

Friday, August 14th, keeps the goods coming. Morning sees another 7ft SW groundswell, cross-off wind, and clean conditions. Still a big day. The afternoon turns messy though, with the wind swinging onshore and the period dropping a touch, bringing a cross-chop. Not your best window.

Saturday, August 15th, is the other standout. The morning has dropped to 6ft SW, but the wind is glassy—absolutely dead calm. That’s perfect. The swell energy is still a strong 1,306. The reef will be smooth and lined up. This is the pick of the bunch for clean, manageable power. The afternoon goes sour with a cross-onshore, so get it early.

Sunday, August 16th, the swell is fading fast. 4ft SSW in the morning, but the wind is light and cross. The energy drops to 682. It’s rideable, but nothing special. The afternoon is a write-off with onshore wind.

From Monday, August 17th, through to Saturday, August 22nd, it’s a long stretch of fading to flat. The swell drops to under 3ft, and most days have poor conditions or very small, weak surf. There’s a brief glimmer on Saturday afternoon, August 22nd, with a light offshore wind and a 2ft long-period swell, but it’s tiny. A proper lull.

Then we get a bit of a pulse on Monday, August 24th. The morning shows a 5ft WSW groundswell, clean with cross-off winds, and a healthy 1,485 energy. It’s a sudden jump, and the conditions are clean, so it’s worth a look if you’ve been waiting. The afternoon goes glassy but the swell drops right off.

The rest of the week into the 27th sees some bumpy, blown-out surf with building wind and a mix of cross and onshore conditions. Nothing to get excited about.

Finally, the last call on Wednesday, August 26th, has a fresh 6ft SW groundswell with a very long 17-second period and a strong offshore wind. The energy is back up to 2,018. That’s a powerful, clean morning. The afternoon is similar at 6ft, still offshore. This is a promising late window, but it’s a week and a half out, so take it with a grain of salt. For the experts, it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Best bets: Saturday morning, August 15th, for the glassy, clean power, and Thursday, August 13th, for the big, clean swell right at the start. The late August 26th window is one to watch but not lock in.

Rusty.

Read more