Nine Mile Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s going on at our local spot, Nine Mile Reef. There’s a bit of a slow start, but the long-range looks like it could hold something special, so pay attention.

We’re kicking off Tuesday the 25th of August, but honestly, the first few days are a write-off. Tuesday morning has a 5ft SW swell running at 15 seconds, which gives the water some decent energy (1299), but the wind is cross-on from the SE at 12 mph, making it choppy and unappealing. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – you’ll want a good hood. Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday are similar stories: too much cross-wind or onshore wind, mediocre swell heights, and nothing worth paddling for.

Thursday the 27th is where it finally starts to look interesting. The morning offers a clean 4ft groundswell from the S with a period of 11 seconds (559 energy), and best of all – offshore wind from the NNW at 9 mph. That means clean, lined-up waves. This is a reef break, so a long-period S swell like this will wrap in nicely and hold its shape. Crowds at Nine Mile Reef are sometimes there, but with conditions like that early, you might get a few clean ones before it gets busy.

Friday the 28th is a step back – onshore winds and weaker swell, so take Thursday and run with it.

If you’re looking further ahead, keep an eye on Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning session looks excellent for experienced surfers: 6ft SW swell at 13 seconds, pumping out strong energy (1247), with a moderate offshore breeze from the N at 12 mph. Clean, powerful, and solid. That’s a standout, but note this swell is over 5ft – it’s a step up, so maybe not one for the beginners. The break is fairly consistent, and with a good offshore wind, it’ll be well-shaped.

Later that day and into Thursday the 3rd, we see a massive spike in energy – 13ft SW at 12 seconds on the Thursday afternoon, with energy reading 7446. That’s a whole lot of power, but the wind is cross-on from the ESE at 12 mph, and the forecast warns the swell is too big for Nine Mile Reef. With those numbers, it’s really only for the experts, and even then, that cross-on wind and size could make it a messy beast. That might be one better suited for kite surfing.

After that, through the first week of September, the swell drops off dramatically. Saturday the 5th has a 2ft SW swell with a very long 23-second period, but it’s onshore wind and weak energy (577) – not worth it. Sunday the 6th afternoon gives us a brief moment of glassy conditions with a light SSW breeze and a 3ft swell from SW at 14 seconds, which could produce some clean little waves if you’re keen for a small session. But it’s tiny.

Overall, the best pick in this window is Thursday morning the 27th of August, with clean offshore winds and a nice 4ft S swell. The real heavy-duty standout is Wednesday morning the 2nd of September, with strong offshore conditions and solid 6ft SW swell for the experienced crew. The rest of the 16 days has long gaps of poor or marginal surf, so don’t expect much beyond those windows.

Rusty.

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