Long Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, looking at the next couple of weeks. Let's be real, it's a slow start. We're looking at a pretty grim run of tiny, weak, and onshore slop to kick things off. The waiting game is on, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel that's worth getting excited about.

First up, Long Reef (reef) is dealing with a bit of a dud spell. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The next few days are a write-off: Sunday the 16th sees a 6 ft SSE swell, but it's a short-period 6-second windswell with a cross-on wind, making it a choppy, poor mess.

Monday and Tuesday stay small and weak, with hardly any energy in the water. Wednesday the 19th morning offers a brief glimmer – a glassy 4 ft wave from the ESE with a 6-second period, but the energy is weak. It's surfable but not worth writing home about. After that, it's back to tiny, onshore dribble through the end of the week.

Now, here's the standout. Circle Sunday the 23rd of August on your calendar. The forecast is for a solid 10 ft S groundswell with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy cranks up to a massive 2743, which is strong. The morning looks clean with a light offshore breeze. This is a big swell, so it's strictly for the advanced crew – it's going to be powerful and take a steep drop. The only catch is the afternoon, where a strong onshore wind will chop it up, so you'll want to be on it first thing.

After that, the week of the 24th keeps a bit of momentum. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th both have clean, surfable conditions with 5 ft to 6 ft S swells. The wind is offshore or cross-offshore, keeping the waves clean. Wednesday the 26th pushes a 6 ft S groundswell with a solid 12-second period, but the wind is a fresh 30 km/h offshore, which is a bit much. It'll be clean but blown-out in the face.

The following weekend (August 29th) brings another interesting one. A 5 ft NE swell shows up, and with a gentle offshore wind, conditions look good. The energy is moderate, and it's a shorter period, so it'll be a bit more playful.

The rest of the month into the start of September looks like it fades back into weak, small surf with average conditions. A few days here and there might have a clean look, but the energy is low.

Best bet? Sunday the 23rd of August at Long Reef. Get on it early before the wind turns. It's the big, powerful, clean session you've been waiting for.

Rusty

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