Long Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you, it's a pretty grim run for most of the period, especially for the first week. The water's sitting at 63°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least you won't be needing a steamer just yet.

Looking at Long Reef, we've got a real stretch of nothing much happening. From Wednesday the 19th right through to the end of the week, it's mostly small, weak, and messy. The wind is all over the shop, mostly cross-shore or onshore, and the swell energy is weak, sitting between 20 and 243 (weak to moderate). The swell is short-period too, around 6-10 seconds, so not much push. It's a bit of a write-off. Then we go into a long gap – from Saturday the 22nd right through to Monday the 24th – there's practically nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, under 3 ft, and the energy is very low, around 20-91 (weak). You'd be better off staying home.

Now, there's a little flicker of hope on the 25th of August. Tuesday morning and afternoon, we get a bit of a pulse. The swell picks up to 5 ft from the NE, with a period of 7-8 seconds, and the energy gets up to 207-229 (moderate). The real kicker here is the wind: it's glassy, mate. No wind at all in the morning, and a light breeze from the NNW in the afternoon. That's about as clean as it gets. The swell direction is good for the reef, coming from the optimum SE direction. Don't get too excited though, it's still a bit inconsistent, and the rating is only a 2/10. But if you're keen, Tuesday the 25th is your best bet for a sneaky session. It's a bit small, but glassy and clean.

After that, things get a bit wild. From the 26th, the wind picks up strong, and the swell starts to build. On the 27th, we've got a 4 ft swell from the S with a 9-second period and energy of 296 (moderate), but the wind is onshore, making it choppy. Thursday the 27th afternoon is a no-go – 4 ft from the S but cross-on wind.

The last week of the month and into September is a real mixed bag. The 30th of August is a standout for size, but not for quality. Sunday afternoon we've got a 10 ft swell from the S with an 11-second period and energy of 1880 (very strong). Problem is, the wind is onshore from the ENE at 12 mph, making it a choppy mess. For an advanced break like Long Reef, that's gettable, but it won't be pretty. Then on the 31st, it gets even bigger – 16 ft from the S with a 14-second period and energy of 15476 (very strong). That's a massive, long-period groundswell. The comment says it's too big for this break, and I'd agree. That's expert-only territory, and even then, the cross-onshore wind will make it treacherous. Long-period swell like that is best at a point or reef, not a beach break, but at this size, it's a handful.

The first few days of September are still big, but easing. Tuesday the 1st is 15 ft from the S, then 13 ft, with energy in the thousands. The wind is still cross-onshore, so it's a bit of a washing machine. By Wednesday the 2nd, it's down to 10-12 ft, and Thursday the 3rd is 6-7 ft from the SE. The wind is still cross-onshore, so nothing to write home about. The energy is moderate to strong.

So, the bottom line: if you're desperate, aim for Tuesday the 25th of August for a clean, glassy session. Otherwise, the big swell at the end of the month is more for the thrill-seekers or the kite surfers, as the combination of strong wind and big swell is more interesting for them. For the rest of us, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

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