Nine Mile Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Nine Mile Reef. The first week or so is pretty quiet, with small, clean windows but nothing that’ll get your heart racing. Then, around August 5th, a solid pulse of SW groundswell rolls in, but it brings a problem – the size gets too big for this reef, and the wind, while offshore at times, can’t save it. After that, the swell just keeps climbing to crazy levels, well past the comfort zone for this spot. So, the real standout is the window on Wednesday morning, August 5th, with a clean 6.2ft SW swell and a moderate offshore breeze from the north. That’s your best bet for a proper session, but only if you’ve got experience – anything over 5ft is pushing it for beginners. The water is sitting at 59°F, which is about average for this time of year – nothing out of the ordinary there.

Let’s break it down day by day. Starting Tuesday afternoon, July 28th, we’ve got a 5.6ft SSW swell, but it’s cross-shore with a moderate breeze at 15 mph and the energy is strong (1361). The surf is marginal, and the conditions are messy – not worth paddling out for. Wednesday morning, July 29th, sees the swell drop to 4.3ft from the SSW, with a slight cross-shore breeze at 3 mph from the east. The energy is moderate (577), and the waves are still marginal. Wednesday afternoon is similar, with a light cross-onshore breeze from the SW. Thursday morning, July 30th, is glassy with a 3.3ft SSW swell, period 13 seconds. The energy is moderate (506), and the conditions are good – clean and small, better for a longboard or a beginner. Thursday afternoon stays glassy in a light breeze, with the same 3.3ft swell. Friday morning, July 31st, is glassy again, with a 2.6ft SW swell, period 12 seconds, and weak energy (200). Nice clean small waves. Friday afternoon turns onshore from the south with 2.0ft SW swell – poor, not worth it.

Saturday morning, August 1st, is glassy, with a 2.3ft SW swell, period 14 seconds, and weak energy (227). Clean but tiny. Saturday afternoon stays glassy, with 2.6ft SW. Sunday morning, August 2nd, brings a clean offshore breeze from the NNW at 9 mph, with 2.6ft SW swell, period 13 seconds – small but clean. Sunday afternoon switches to a cross-offshore breeze from the NW, still 2.6ft. Monday, August 3rd, is onshore from the south, with 3.0ft SW swell, period 12 to 14 seconds, and moderate energy (431 to 617) – marginal. Tuesday, August 4th, stays onshore, with 3.3 to 3.6ft SW swell – poor conditions.

Now for the real action. Wednesday morning, August 5th, we’ve got a 6.2ft SW groundswell, period 14 seconds, and a moderate offshore breeze from the north at 15 mph. The energy is strong (1448), and the conditions are clean. This is excellent for experienced surfers, but the swell is over 5ft, so beginners should sit this one out. The optimum swell direction is SSE, and this is coming from SSW, so it’s not a perfect match, but the offshore wind makes it the best window. Wednesday afternoon sees the swell jump to 7.5ft, still SW, with a cross-offshore breeze – the wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is now too big for this reef, over 8ft. Thursday, August 6th, has 5.6 to 5.9ft SW swell, with cross-offshore winds from the NW at 15 to 18 mph – clean but marginal. Friday morning, August 7th, has 7.2ft SW swell, period 14 seconds, with a cross-offshore breeze – too big again. Friday afternoon stays big, with 7.2ft SW swell, period 15 seconds, and a cross-shore wind. Saturday morning, August 8th, is 7.2ft SSW swell, period 15 seconds, with a strong offshore breeze from the north at 12 mph – clean but too big. Saturday afternoon has a strong breeze at 28 mph from the NNW – poor conditions. Sunday, August 9th, sees 7.2 to 9.8ft SW swell, with strong cross-offshore winds – all too big.

Monday morning, August 10th, is massive – 23.0ft from the WSW, period 16 seconds, with a moderate offshore breeze. The energy is extreme (35891). This is only for experts, and even then, it’s likely too much for the reef. Monday afternoon drops to 18.0ft from the SSW, period 18 seconds – still huge

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