Ketewel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your area. Honestly, it’s a tough run for the next couple of weeks at Ketewel, a reef break that’s a bit tricky at the best of times. The water temp is sitting around 81°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no complaints there.

The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday morning and afternoon, and Thursday morning, are all poor surf conditions with a cross-onshore wind. The swell’s there, but it’s messy. Thursday afternoon and Friday are the same story – just no good. You’re looking at a gap of about two days with no real rideable surf.

Then things start to look a little less hopeless. Saturday morning (5th) is still poor, but Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning (6th) move into the “marginal” zone. The swell is building, with a solid 6ft to 7ft from the SSW, but the wind is still onshore, so it’s not clean. It’s a bit of a grind, but you might find a few if you’re desperate.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is the period from Tuesday the 8th through to the middle of the second week. There’s a big pulse of energy coming through – the combined energy hits 2795 (strong) on Tuesday morning, and even 3016 (strong) in the afternoon. The swell is 5ft to 6ft from the SSW, with a very long period of 18 to 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. The wind is onshore, but it’s just a light breeze, so it’s not completely trashed. This is a reef break, so a long-period SSW groundswell like this should wrap in nicely, giving you some well-shaped, powerful lines. The waves will be clean enough for a good session. Keep in mind, though, that with a 19-second period, the sets will be widely spaced, and the wave face will be steep and fast – this is one for the advanced crew only. It’s not for beginners.

The rest of the week has more of the same: marginal conditions with onshore or cross-onshore winds, but the swell stays solid. There’s another big spike on Sunday the 13th, with 8ft SSW swell and a 17-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. The combined energy is a massive 3871 (very strong) that morning, so there’s heaps of power in the water. That’s an expert-only day, and it'll be a wild one.

Into the second week, the pattern continues. Swell stays between 6ft and 8ft, but the wind remains a cross-onshore, gentle breeze. It’s all marginal stuff. The best bet is still that Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th stretch, and maybe the mornings of the 16th and 17th when the swell is a solid 7ft and the wind is just a little cross-onshore. It’s not perfect, but it’s the pick of a pretty average bunch.

Bottom line: no true standouts, but the combination of strong groundswell, light winds, and a reef break setup makes the 8th and 9th your best chance. Don’t get your hopes up for glassy perfection. Get out there when you can.

Rusty

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