Long Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Long Reef has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water temp is sitting right on the long-term average at 65°, so nothing unusual there – just your standard winter water.

We’re starting off a bit slow, honestly. Wednesday the 8th is a write-off with onshore breeze and a messy cross-chop on a 8 ft SE swell. Not worth paddling out for. Thursday the 9th morning is the first real chance to get wet. We’ve got a 6 ft SE swell with clean conditions thanks to a light cross-offshore breeze. The wave energy is moderate (887), and with a 10-second period, it’ll have a bit of push. It’s not huge, but for a Thursday morning session, it’s clean and workable.

Friday the 10th morning is similar – 5 ft SE swell, clean, light breeze. The combined energy drops a bit (575), but it’s still a decent option for a finesse session. Saturday the 11th morning looks even smaller at 4 ft, but the wind is light cross-offshore and conditions are clean. Good for a longboard or a fun log.

Then we hit a flat spell. From Sunday the 12th morning all the way through to Wednesday the 15th afternoon, it’s pretty grim. Swell drops below 2 ft, and even though the wind is often offshore or glassy, there’s just no energy. That’s about four days of no real surf.

Things start to stir again on Thursday the 16th. This is the standout of the whole outlook. Thursday morning sees a 8 ft S swell (combined energy 2586 – strong) with clean cross-offshore breeze. By Thursday afternoon, it pumps up to 12 ft S with a 13-second period, and the energy hits 3656. This is big, powerful groundswell. It’s clean and the wind is light. That said, 12 ft is expert territory – this is a reef break, and with that long period, it’ll be thick and heavy. Not for the faint-hearted, but if you’ve got the skills, this is the session to aim for. Crowds are likely to be a factor as word gets out.

Friday the 17th keeps the size up at 12 ft in the morning, though the wind goes a bit cross-shore in the afternoon, adding some chop. Still plenty of grunt. Saturday the 18th morning sees the swell drop to 7 ft S, still clean with light offshore wind. A good option for strong intermediates who found Thursday too big.

Sunday the 19th is back to small stuff, and then Monday the 20th morning has a pulse of 7 ft S swell again, with clean conditions and a combined energy of 1188. The period is short though at 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and less organised than the big groundswell earlier. Good for a punchy session if you’re not picky.

After that, it fades out fast. From Tuesday the 21st onward, we’re back to tiny waves and offshore winds, but nothing with enough size to get excited about.

Rusty, signing off.

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