Long Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's have a look at what's coming up for Long Reef. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but there's one window that's got me pretty excited.

Right now, the water temp is sitting at 64.8°F which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year. Nothing weird going on there.

The next week or so is a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We've got a heap of energy coming in, with combined swell energy readings hitting up to 2771 (strong energy) on Tuesday, but it's all tied to a pretty messy system. Tuesday morning you're looking at a solid 9.8ft swell from the SSE, but it's coming with a 25 km/h cross-off wind from the SSW and rain showers. The wave comment says it's marginal, and the scores reflect that. Tuesday afternoon gets worse with the same strong energy and a cross wind making things choppy. Wednesday is similar, just a bit smaller. This is reef, so with that much size and less-than-ideal wind, it's really just for the advanced crew who know the place well.

Then we finally get a break in the weather. Thursday morning, July 9th, is the standout. The swell drops to a much more manageable 6.2ft from the SE with a 10-second period. The combined energy is down to 887 (moderate), but the magic is in the wind: it's glassy. Light rain in the air, but that wind is zero. The wave comment says "expect very good surf conditions" and that’s the truth. It'll be clean as a whistle. For the advanced surfer, this is the session to target. There won't be too many people out, but with cleanup sets, it'll be worth the paddle.

After that, the surf fades pretty fast. Friday morning is okay with a 4.6ft SE swell and a light offshore from the WSW, but it's smaller and less consistent. Saturday sees the size drop further. By Saturday afternoon the period stretches to 12 seconds, making it a bit more of a groundswell, which can break a bit too straight on a beach, but at Long Reef the shape should still be okay. Still, it's only 2.6ft.

From Sunday the 12th through to about the 15th, it's mostly flat with clean conditions but tiny, weak waves. There's a bit of a pulse on Wednesday the 15th with a 3.3ft to 3.6ft S swell and glassy winds again in the afternoon, but the energy is low, so it's just a grovel.

Looking way out, there's a big spike on the 16th of July. Thursday morning brings a 8.2ft, 13-second groundswell from the south, with combined energy of 2171 (strong). That's proper size and period, and with a cross-off wind from the SW, it'll likely be clean. But that's more than two weeks away, so take it with a grain of salt. It's a promising long-range call, but nothing is locked in yet.

So, the bottom line: the next few days are big and messy. Lock in Thursday morning, July 9th, for the best chance of clean, powerful waves at Long Reef. That's the one.

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