Long Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on Long Reef over the next couple weeks.

The water's sitting right around 66°, which is nothing unusual for this time of the year. The big story is the first day. After that, there's a lot of messy, powerful, or flat water to sift through.

Your absolute best bet is Saturday morning, July 4th. You’ve got a clean 5ft swell from the south with a solid 12-second period – that's proper groundswell. The energy is a solid moderate 546. With a light 6 mph offshore breeze from the west, the surface will be glassy and clean. This is classic Long Reef for the advanced crew. Just be aware, crowds can pop up here sometimes. Expect very good conditions.

That same afternoon, it falls apart. Wind goes cross-on, swell drops to 3ft, and it’s not worth the paddle.

Sunday the 5th and Monday the 6th bring a big jump in energy (2517 and 1281) with swell heights of 12ft and 8ft. But the wind is fresh and cross or cross-off, making it lumpy. It’s clean but powerful, and not user-friendly.

From Tuesday the 7th through Friday the 10th, it's a slog. Strong cross-off winds, swell hanging around 8ft to 10ft, and the energy stays high (over 1000). The wave comment is "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions" the whole way. It’s clean-ish in the mornings, but it's raw and heavy.

Friday afternoon, July 10th, is another little gem. You get a 7ft swell, moderate energy at 1068, and the wind goes dead glassy – 3 mph from the southeast. That’s excellent, clean surf for experienced surfers. Worth sneaking out for.

Then things go quiet. Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th have smaller stuff (5ft down to 2ft), with variable winds. Monday the 13th is flat as a pancake, with energy readings in the 50s. There’s a gap of several days with nothing good.

Then it gets huge again. Tuesday July 14th is a monster – 10ft to 13ft south swell with a short period and massive energy (1104 to 3546). The wind is offshore or cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but 13ft at Long Reef is for experts only. The following days keep that big, powerful, but messy vibe.

Finally, Sunday morning, July 19th, looks like the best of the second week. 12ft south swell with a 10-second period, moderate energy at 3995, and a gentle 9 mph cross-off breeze making it clean. "Excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers" is the call. Circle that one, but remember, it’s two weeks out – promising but not locked in.

So, Saturday morning, July 4th is your winner. After that, pick your battles, and don't bother between the 11th and 13th.

Rusty.

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