Long Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

The surf pattern is a slow starter. The first few days are a total write-off with onshore chop and weak, small waves. Things pick up a little toward the end of the first week, and the second week brings a serious pulse of energy, but it’s for the experienced crew only. The standout window is definitely around the 24th and then that big pulse on the 26th.

Long Reef is the only spot on the cards. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

Right now, starting Thursday the 13th, it’s a mess. A weak 4 ft S swell with a short 8-second period and a cross-off wind is making for choppy, marginal surf. The energy is low (223). That afternoon, a 5 ft S swell with 9 seconds shows up, but it’s cross-on and choppy, so just forget it. Friday the 14th morning is the first little flicker – a clean 4 ft S swell with 9 seconds and a light offshore wind from the west. The energy is moderate (276). It’s not a bomb, but it’s the first clean wave. Friday afternoon goes back to poor.

Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are a write-off with rain showers, strong cross-shore winds, and short-period windswell. The energy is moderate (337 and 344) but the quality is junk. Monday through Wednesday the 19th are all poor, with tiny waves and onshore winds, though Wednesday morning the 19th gets a tiny 4 ft E swell with a 6-second period and glassy conditions, but the energy is weak (143) and it’s really just a pond.

Then there’s a real gap. From Thursday the 20th through to Sunday the 23rd, it’s tiny and poor – swells under 3 ft, mostly weak energy (under 200), and only a few periods of clean conditions. This is a long stretch of nothing special.

Now, the first real standout is Monday the 24th afternoon. The swell is 4 ft from the ENE with a 10-second period, and the wind is a light cross-off from the southwest. The energy is moderate (266) and the conditions are clean. It’s a proper, fun little reef wave. This is the best of the bunch for the first week.

Tuesday the 25th stays clean with offshore winds, but the swell drops to 3 ft to 3 ft from the ENE, energy is low (189 to 131), so it’s more of a longboarder’s session.

And then, hold onto your hat. Wednesday the 26th morning brings a solid 8 ft S swell with a 10-second period, and the energy is strong (1041). The wind is a clean cross-off from the SSW. This is a big, powerful groundswell. For a reef like Long Reef, that’s a proper expert session. The swell is big, the period is good, and it’s clean. The afternoon pushes up to 10 ft S with 11 seconds and even stronger energy (1993), but the wind swings cross-shore and creates a chop, so it’s a bit more of a handful. This is expert territory only. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th hold onto decent S swell (6 ft to 4 ft) with moderate energy (757 to 361), but the winds are cross-shore or cross-off, so it’s not as clean as that Wednesday morning.

So, bottom line: the 24th afternoon is your pick for clean, fun, manageable waves. The 26th morning is the big dog for the advanced crew, but it’s powerful and heavy. The rest of the window is mostly small or poor. Keep an eye on those forecasts for the later part, as it’s a bit further out.

Rusty.

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